Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Instruction & Curriculum Leadership

Committee Chair

Beverly Cross

Committee Member

Taneshia Greenidge

Committee Member

Crystal D Cook

Committee Member

Olayinka Mohorn-Mintah

Abstract

Historically, opportunities have been limited for Black girls to share their girlhood experiences with mainstream society due to the lack of scholarship produced on Black girlhood. Additionally, there are limited narratives written by Black girls on their girlhood experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to gather Black girls’ perspectives on Black girlhood through curated images of Black girlhood in the future. This study used two theoretical orientations: Black feminism and Black radical imagination. Both theories provided the study with the framework necessary to hear the girls’ unfiltered truths and provided the girls with methods to create future images of Black girlhood. This study found Black girls envision Black girlhood in the future being peaceful and providing Black girls the opportunity to experience beauty, happiness, and power. The study’s findings cite the origin of Black girlhood’s current inadequacies linked to White beauty standards, adultification of Black girls, and the notion of powerlessness tied to Black girls during their girlhood. The study’s participants pushed against those three forms of oppressions by curating images that eradicated those forms of oppression by showing Black girls basking in the diversity of Black beauty as they experience a girlhood that values their existence and happiness. Based on the findings there are implications for people that interact with Black girls. The findings of this study showed that Black girls have insight about the experiences that they are encountering in their daily lives, which means people that work with Black girls must create opportunities for them to share their perspectives. For policy makers the findings show the need for safer school environments and better policies that protect Black girls. Lastly, the findings show that as a society, we all must do a better job of valuing the lives of Black girls by honoring their intelligence, uplifting their beauty, and nurturing their imagination.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

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