For Us, By Us

Abstract

This article describes how one group of African American women educators set out to change the narrative surrounding the achievement of African American girls at their high school through the creation of an elective course entitled Ourstory, which was designed using the tenets of culturally relevant, African-centered, and Black feminist pedagogy. The main goal of the Ourstory course was to use the study of African American women’s history and heritage to increase self-esteem, self-efficacy and provide a safe space for the African American girls involved. This descriptive study explores the design and implementation of the Ourstory class using a qualitative analysis of the course syllabus, lesson plans, course materials, student work, observations, and interviews with staff and students. The findings from this study demonstrate that there is value in creating a space for African American girls to express themselves and build community.