By New York Amsterdam News
Originally appeared in Word in Black
The images and stories are indelible. Ruby Bridges walking out of school surrounded by U.S. Marshalls. The Little Rock Nine high school students entering school escorted by the U.S. Army and the Arkansas National Guard. I picture my mother, who, at 17 years old, was bused to a high school in a white neighborhood 45 minutes away, only to be confronted by people rioting in front of the school and officers with German shepherds stationed inside the school.
The civil rights era brought us countless examples of young Black girls trying to get access to—and often risking their safety for—an equal education.
In the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, the integration of schools was heralded as a triumph for equality. However, in the 70 years since Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark decision advancing education justice in the U.S., it has become painfully clear that the promise of desegregation and racial equality has not been fully realized. Instead, our U.S. education system continues to perpetuate inequalities, particularly for Black girls.
While overt discrimination may no longer be sanctioned, the insidious biases that once fueled segregation have merely morphed into subtler, yet still harmful, forms of injustice that are enmeshed in school policy and the everyday practices of educators.
Indeed, despite some progress, a harsh reality remains: Black girls still do not have equal access to education. Every day, Black girls are pushed out of school because they are stereotyped and perceived to be disobedient, disrespectful, unruly, or a threat to the safety of the school community. As a result, Black girls across the country are disproportionately punished in schools compared to their white counterparts, facing consequences that not only hinder their educational opportunities but also push them toward inextricable entanglement with the criminal legal system.
The numbers paint a stark picture: The National Black Women’s Justice Institute’s recent analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights shows that, although Black girls made up just 15% of female students in the 2017–18 school year, they accounted for 47% of girls receiving corporal punishment, 45% of girls receiving out-of-school suspensions, 36% of girls experiencing school-related arrests, and 33% of girls referred to law enforcement. Black girls were overrepresented in all discipline sanctions, a trend that dates back to at least 2011, according to our analysis, when the Office for Civil Rights first required consistent reporting of school discipline data by race and ethnicity.
The consequences of this punitive approach are devastating. Punitive discipline practices are associated with poor student achievement and a failure to complete school. Relying on disciplinary sanctions instead of restorative and empowering responses to Black girls’ behaviors in schools erodes their trust in educators and shatters their belief in the liberating and transformative power of education.
The effects of the punishment that Black girls are subjected to in school do not end at school gates: Students who are disconnected from school are at increased risk for depression, poor mental health outcomes, substance misuse, and contact with police and the juvenile and criminal legal systems. When Black girls are disproportionately punished and pushed out of school, it means that Black girls are also disproportionately affected by these school-to-confinement pathways.
Why are Black girls singled out for punishment in the first place? The answer lies in the intersecting dynamics of race and gender that shape our society. Black girls are often subjected to harmful stereotypes and prejudices that paint them as inherently unruly or aggressive. Studies have also shown that Black girls are perceived as older and less innocent than their white counterparts of the same age, leading to harsher treatment and punitive responses to their behavior.
Only by working together to create a more equitable and supportive education system can we ensure that Black girls—and every child—have the opportunity to thrive, both inside and outside the classroom.
This pernicious phenomenon, referred to as adultification, exacerbates the plight of Black girls in schools. Teachers expect Black girls to “know better,” yet offer other students grace and compassion consistent with their developmental stage in life.
This pattern of policing Black girls’ behavior undermines the educational prospects of Black girls and perpetuates disparities that have deep roots in our nation’s history of racial injustice.
As we reflect on the legacy of the civil rights era and the hard-fought battles for equality, we must reckon with the fact that systemic inequalities remain. Black girls bear the brunt of discriminatory practices in schools, which deny them the opportunity to thrive. It is incumbent upon us to heed their voices, amplify their stories, and take action to dismantle the beliefs and practices that lead to the criminalization of Black girls.
To do this, we must confront the root causes of racial disparities in school discipline and work toward a new vision for our education system: a system that affirms Black girls’ identities, fosters a sense of belonging, and ensures they have every opportunity to live out their dreams. This means moving away from punitive measures that perpetuate cycles of exclusion and lead to criminalization and instead, implementing practices and policies that prioritize healing, support, and empowerment.
We must foster a more inclusive and empathetic school environment to create a supportive atmosphere where Black girls feel valued and empowered, and can thrive. This means we must invest in more and better mental health resources in schools that are accessible, trauma-informed, culturally affirming, and gender-sensitive.
Finally, we must address the systemic inequities that underlie the school-to-prison pipeline, including the overreliance on law enforcement in educational settings. The presence of police in schools is associated with higher numbers of suspensions, transfers, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement—all of which Black girls experience at disproportionate rates—and lower rates of graduation and college enrollment.
Ultimately, the fight for educational justice demands our collective commitment and action. Only by working together to create a more equitable and supportive education system can we ensure that Black girls—and every child—have the opportunity to thrive, both inside and outside the classroom.
