Black Girl Voice
#SayHerName. Kimberlé Crenshaw created the hashtag to increase the visibility of Black women and girls who lost their lives to police violence. Because Black women and girls often go unrecognized, the hashtag signifies the harsh reality that Black women and girls are systematically overlooked. As a Black woman, Black mother, Black daughter, Black sista, Black aunt, and Black scholar in the academy, who was once a Black girl, the notion of invisibility has resonated with me throughout my journey. Because of my own lived experiences, I’ve spent my career providing space and elevating Black girl voices. Black girls’ depiction through the lens of social media is saturated with negative messaging and stereotypes. This messaging includes and is not limited to being sassy, ghetto, loud, and promiscuous – this messaging targets Black girls because of society viewing them as adults (adultification). Comments such as, “Girl, she is so fast,” or “You act too grown.” – often are picked up by the larger society, contributing to this narrative that Black girls act grown and fast. The stereotypes and biases of Black girls were all too apparent when we saw the response to victims of sexual assault in the R. Kelly case. These views have detrimental consequences for Black girls.
How can we disrupt this narrative about Black girls? How can we counter the negative messaging? How can we allow Black girls to narrate their own stories? I have an idea. So, let’s imagine if Black girls were allowed to create and define Black girl spaces. What might that be? What might that look like? What if we made positive outlets for Black girls? What if we asked about the stereotypes they hear or see? If allowed to be, Black girls will recite many of these stereotypes, like reciting their ABCs. You see, Black girls learn early on how society views them (roles often assigned through stereotypes) AND how to push back against these views (disruptors). For the latter, through my work, centering Black girls’ voices, I’ve found the three R’s that are present —resistance, resilience, and reclaiming. I’ll explain. Black girls are actively resistant to the negative messaging about how they think and feel about their experiences. For some Black girls, to thrive (resilient) despite these narratives is important. Black girls thrive because of sistahood and support systems (families, friends, mentors, spiritual journey, & self-love). They were, lastly, reclaiming. Black girls WANT to and DEMAND that they define who they are and what they want to be! They want to reclaim what is taken away from them. Their voice. Their narrative.
Black girlhood offers the space and lens to do this work by intentionally centering and elevating the voices of Black girls. Imagine if we created intentional space, honored the diversity of Black girls – as Black girls are not a monolith. What if we told Black girls they matter, to love their skin, hair, body, strength, beauty, scars, smile, laughter, assertiveness, and most importantly, TO LOVE THEIR VOICE!! In turn, what if we chose to listen, to understand, to uplift, to unify, to promote, and to let our Black girls be free! What if?!?
Most importantly, what if we created a space where Black girls’ voices can be heard, respected, valued, and nurtured? Centering Black girls’ voices, we show that we honor and cherish who they are. This has implications for the work we do as educators, scholars, and practitioners. Wow! The type of change that can happen. We can have programming developed and led by Black girls. Respecting Black girls will shape the way we serve and how we serve. Elevating Black girl voice in spaces can lead to the dismantling of negative stereotypes and treatment (e.g., hair discrimination, school discipline, & low academic expectations).
Black girls want to be free – to have a voice and to own their own experiences. Black girlhood provides spaces for reflection. In taking action-orientated steps, let’s ask ourselves the following questions:
How are we engaging with Black girls?
How are we socially constructed to think about the intersection of race & gender?
How are we socialized to think about Black girls?
How are we addressing the biases and stereotypes that we hold against Black girls?
How are we challenging these views?
Once you ask yourself these questions, how are you addressing your biases and stereotypes about Black girls? How do you hold yourself accountable? If you are reflecting and feel uncomfortable, don’t worry; you are supposed to!
This is a continuous process that requires a lot of “unlearning” when working with Black girls. We must be intentional about providing Black girls space – to uplift and center their voices. We have to do the work!
Because Black girls are worth it.
Author: Sheretta Butler-Barnes, PhD.
Bio: Dr. Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). A developmental psychologist and quantitative methodologist, Butler-Barnes line of research includes examining how Black youth draw on individual and cultural assets and resources to thrive despite challenges to their identities from structural, individual, and cultural racism. Her expertise and scholarly work is on Black children and youth, risk and resilience, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Butler-Barnes also has extensive experience in youth programming as it pertains to Black adolescent girls. Dr. Butler-Barnes has a PhD in Developmental Psychology.
To learn more: https://brownschool.wustl.edu/Faculty-and-Research/Pages/Sheretta-Butler-Barnes.aspx
