Sunday, June 4, 2017

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School

Readers, something you should know about me, I'm white - like ghost white. I share this because a struggle I always have with helping marginalized groups, is that I'm trying to do the good work without having it appear as charity. So the musings below have to do with some of the work, I'm starting - educating myself through literature by experts in their fields.  This may read as very scattered, there is so much to think about and I am overwhelmed as I write this. Please read and engage in dialogue, we can learn from each other.

Monique W Morris @MoniqueWMorris is the author of the book, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. Throughout the book is I went through a number of emotions: grief, anger (at the system), hopeful, driven, and many more. Morris gave her readers a glimpse of what it means to be a Black girl in many different contexts, especially girls that understand education is powerful tool to help them break through the glass ceiling.

At one point in my read through, Morris brings up the thought, that instead of a regular glass ceiling that many White women experience, Black girls experience a stained glass ceiling. Meaning that that they can see what's beyond, but it's distorted. To that, I make another step, what if the stained glass ceiling has been busted through, things are going well, and we regress, we rebuild the ceiling on top of them? What if this ceiling is not only distorted, but had once been experienced?

I continued to ponder these thoughts and further as I read... How are these happening/why are they happening?

The deck is stacked against our Black girls, even more than their male counterparts. Many classrooms, especially in urban settings are filled with a diverse students and a Caucasian teacher. I know that's not always the case, and for those of you that are reading this and are of Color, thank you. I appreciate your existence and you are a powerful asset to our students. These teachers aren't used to what Morris points out as the Black girl "attitude". What I've learned here is that Black girls can be strong, independent women, and will do whatever they can to advocate for themselves, in particular their education. If a Black girl were to ask multiple questions and begin to raise the tensions, they are not intentionally trying to undermine your authority, or prevent you from teaching them, but rather seek further explanation.

This is something that I actually recently experienced, with a Black male student, but I found it to be a reflective moment after I read this book. My student was asking a question, and would not stop, I was beyond the point of frustration, but then something in me clicked and I began to think, "Have I not answered his question?" After my other students were working on an activity, I went up to him and asked how I could help? It was eye opening! The student just said, "Like, I don't understand. I'm just asking a question." Whoa. Mind blown. We continued our conversation and it provided a teachable moment, I was able to answer the question and then explain why I didn't get to it right away. Then we had more dialogue about how we could improve our communication in the future. I strengthened our relationship. It was so powerful. He smiled and told me "Thank You".

These escalated events don't always happen like mine did. Instead, they push Black girls out of classrooms, into the office, or out the door. Many institutions have a zero tolerance policy on discipline, meaning 1 and done - you're out. This is such a disservice to our students, especially Black girls, because the consequences for being outside of school are far greater than her being a thorn in your side.

"Did they choose to grow up in poverty? Did they choose sexual abuse? Did they choose to get raped, some of them before they could walk? Did they choose to grow up in a world where women and girls are not safe?" (Morris, 2016)

Black girls, live a life I could never imagine. Black girls are targeted for human trafficking. Some live in a world of scarcity, meaning that they don't know when their next meal is coming. This puts them in a place that they need to find someone that can provide. Do you know who can provide? An older "boyfriend", which can become a pimp or a john. These individuals will support the girls for certain favors, but for a price. Typically that price prevents them from going to school, and leads them to selling their bodies, lives of addiction, and juvenile detention centers.

These detention centers are a new home to Black girls that know education is necessary. They find they need to get through their stint and move on, but what systems are in place to help rehabilitate their charges? In the book, Morris interviews many girls and discovers that many things are not in place, one of them being credit recovery. If Black girls leave in the middle of a school year for detention and don't get out until the next year, they may be behind. What? Yes, you read that correctly, they may not be up to standard by the time they return to the general education setting. Other concerns were brought up in the text, those questions related to grade/age-level appropriate curriculum, and what specifically the worth of a credit is. Another situation that can arise, according to the text relates to these girls still living with a zero tolerance discipline plan. This means that regardless behavior, the student may be forced to leave, allowing them to be further behind.

As I look through the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center website, I see little about education, but I cannot speak for sure - this requires further investigation.

I feel it's time to close this post. This post was in fact scattered, but some gems may be shared from Morris' work.

A big take away may seem harsh, but ultimately it's beneficial... Teachers, it is all about relationships. We need to get over ourselves, let our students help us create the culture and climate of our classroom.

Yes, I'm guilty of this... every single day, but ultimately, I have found reflection keeps me honest. When it comes to Black girls specifically, we need to be diligent to meet them halfway, we need to try to understand and engage in the dialogue that allows for them to be heard. These voices are too often stifled because they have two points of oppression against them 1. They are Black, 2. They are women. Two strikes in a world that allows them to fail in comparison to their White counterparts. Hold the standard high, force them to keep moving forward, but you better be walking beside them. They need an advocate. In this world of resegregation, we need to ally ourselves with our Black sisters and raise the bar for society. We will, as a mass, break through that ceiling and it will never be rebuilt, and if it does - our work is not done. Push yourself to support these Black girls and understand that they are not your White norm.

With that I leave you with this - What choices will you make to help your students, even the pains in the rear, succeed? Will you strive for excellence, or allow them to fail, without trying again? The ball is in your court, better get moving.

TGZ

For Monique W. Morris' book - https://www.moniquewmorris.me

Monique - you have opened my eyes and for that I am grateful. The pasty, White guy, is going to continue doing the work to benefit our marginalized groups. Thank you.

Morris, M. W. (2015). Pushout The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. New York: New Press.