PODCAST EPISODES

How does centering the experiences of Black girls protect their innocence and childhood? Ashley Sawyer and Damala Denny from Girls for Gender Equity join to discuss GGE’s efforts in preserving Black girls’ childhood. GGE is an inter-generational nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local communities by creating opportunities for young women and girls to live self-determined lives. We explore how GGE works to dismantle systems of oppression to empower Black girls and help them #breakconcrete.  

Topics Covered: 

• GGE’s empowerment of young women of color
• GGE’s National Agenda for Black Girls 
• How the Black Girl Bill of Rights declares the rights and privileges that Black girls and women deserve
• Defining the adultification of Black girls and how it impacts school outcomes
• Why Black educators matter
• Stereotypes about Black women and girls and how these stereotypes impact relationships
• Disproportionate discipline of Black girls in schools
• How GGE is centering the experiences of Black girls in the 2020 presidential election
• Ashley’s and Damala’s hopes and wishes for the upcoming elections
• The importance of safeguarding Black girls’ childhood and innocence

Highlights:

• “Sometimes we count ourselves out because we’ve been told from the time we were in pre-school, that the way to survive in a white supremacist society is to make yourself small.” – Ashley
• “We need to allow Black girls to take center stage and tell their stories, and really believe them.” – Damala 
• “Protect Black girls. Recognize some of our own internalized beliefs that prevent us from seeing Black girls as fully human and also children.” – Ashley
• “I would like to see everyone make a commitment about being careful about every word that you use in reference to our young people. Choosing it so carefully, knowing that you are planting seeds for who she will become and what she will believe about herself.” – Ashley

Connect with Ashley and Damala: 

On GGE’s website: https://www.ggenyc.org/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlsforgenderequity/

On Twitter: @ggenyc

On Instagram: @ggenyc

Other References: 

• Georgetown Law Center, Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood
• American Psychological Association, The Essence of Innocence: Consequences of Dehumanizing Black Children
• Monique W. Morris, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools

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