Educating Black Girls Enduring Microaggressions in an Oreo World

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to explore suburban Black Christian girls’ experiences of microaggressions in the public high school context. Through an ethnographic study, personal narratives were collected from six suburban Black Christian girls who all attended the same African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church where I served as the youth minister. These narratives offer insight into ways microaggression encounters in suburban schools can impact the personal identity, racial identity, and spiritual formation of Black adolescent girls. The Black sanctuary is the context where the girls in the study felt most accepted, represented, and safe. This implies re-imagining religious education practices with Black girls is important if pastors want to cultivate formative spaces that help Black youth thrive in an Oreo World.Keywords: MicroaggressionsBlack girlseducationChristianethnography Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Dictionary.com, s.v. Oreo. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/oreo.2 According to the Chicago Public Schools “Understanding Special Education” webpage, a 504 plan is “a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability under the law (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations and supports that will ensure their academic success and equal access to the learning environment. The disability must substantially limit a major life activity, which includes a child’s ability to learn in a general education classroom.” https://www.cps.edu/services-and-supports/special-education/understanding-special-education/#:∼:text=The%20504%20Plan%20is%20a,equal%20access%20to%20the%20learning. Accessed May 13, 2022.Additional informationNotes on contributorsGina A. S. RobinsonGina A. S. Robinson, PhD is at Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, Crawfordsville, IN, USA. E-mail: robinsog@wabash.edu