Forget Treadin' Water, We Breakin' Down That Damn Dam: Emancipatory Critical Mentoring for Black Girls

• In Event: 43.078 - MTCC Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 43.078-12 - Mentoring Our Youth

Abstract

The oppression that Black females experience is exacerbated due to their identities that sit at the intersections of race, gender, and class (Collins, 1986 & 1989; Onyeka-Crawford, Patrick, & Chaudry, 2017). Although Black girls are many times made aware of this reality, and are prepared by their families to actively resist, every facet of their lives continues to be deeply affected by stereotypes and implicit bias, particularly their education (Collins, 2015). This study aims to problematize the widespread application of traditional mentoring practices, often adopted in response to this, and to communicate a mentoring praxis deliberately informed by and designed for the empowerment of Black girls. Findings illustrate the emancipatory impact of critical mentoring in the lives of Black girls.

Author

• Krystal Huff, Loyola Marymount University