Beyond Black Girl Magic: How Do We Frame Black Girls and Women at the Center of Educational Research?

Register: osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEudOmppzgrGdHFR0SCNOtw0iaNp7fnKuTw

Black women and girls are affected in multiple ways by societal issues that threaten their academic achievement and life outcomes. Unfortunately, far too few researchers, policymakers, and educators are paying attention to the educational and developmental needs of Black girls and women which results in further disadvantage and vulnerabilities. One challenge is the prevailing myth that Black women and girls are superhuman with a problem-free existence and can overcome the ever-present impact of racism, sexism, classism and violence they face (Harris-Perry, 2011). Tropes that ignore their vulnerabilities and lack of protection make Black women’s and girl’s struggles forgettable and invisible. While (hyper)invisibility plays a huge role in the lack of information about Black women and girls another challenge is that researchers interested in understanding the social conditions impacting this social group struggle with gender and culturally responsive ways of framing the research and asking critical questions. In this session, Drs. Venus Evans-Winters and Lori Patton Davis engage in a generative dialogue about the research gaps pertaining to Black girls and women, as well as offer strategies for framing research to appropriately center Black girls and women in educational research.