Post #5: Ok, So What Now?

Hi Readers, welcome to my final blog post! I am excited to report that I thoroughly enjoyed documenting my thoughts and responding to the thoughts of others while reading Pushout, by Dr. Monique W. Morris. Morris had a clear goal in mind with Pushout, in her own words “I closed this book with a call for us to embrace an alternative paradigm for exploring how our schools respond to black girls in crisis.” (195)  However, I notice that Morris doesn't just make a “call for embracing a new paradigm in schools” but also for a new paradigm in how we view equality as a country. It is true that “defining freedom cannot amount to simply substituting it with inclusion.” (194) 

Inclusion is not equality. 

We may allow black girls everywhere, physically. We may give them equitable chances, but on paper. However our very own mind is a place more important than any document, where racial stigma and implicit (or explicit) biases still keep us from achieving true equality. In the case of young black girls this freedom means going to school in the town they grew up in and being given a fair chance at success.  So my biggest takeaway from this book and essentially the most important for me to address is “ What can I do to combat the criminalization of black girls?”

I'm happy to say, a lot.

One of the key factors for change that Morris discusses is not shying away from your implicit biases. Everyone has them, they develop as we all have different personal experiences when we grow up. No one person’s bias or assumptions will be the same as another's, however through her research Dr.Morris finds that the implicit bias most commonly associated with black girls in a classroom setting is a persona that interrupts the educational environment. When in reality these traits to these girls, are nothing but harmless qualities to their person. It is unacceptable to excuse a child’s potential to succeed and deem them unfit simply because you don't like their mannerisms. I agree that things along the lines of swearing, hate speech, etc is not okay and should not be allowed in school. However the mannerisms that black girls are getting targeting for in Pushout were “desire to speak up” (88) “trying to ask a question” (42) or the most shocking, said by an educator, “deliberately taking up air and space.” (42) All of these mannerisms that Morris focuses on seem to stem from the belief that the black girl was purposefully trying to cause trouble and is not invested in what she was doing. Implicit biases like these are what we must acknowledge when we see them. Confronting our biases head on and working to become more aware of them will in time, eliminate them.

Another simple, yet important part of combating the criminalization of young black females today would be to support modern day civil rights movements. In the era were living in today injustices are no longer being tolerated. Making this the optimal time to fight for what you believe in. By supporting modern day movements such as Black Lives Matter, (Black) ColorofChange, (Color) or Stand for Children. (Education)  While fighting for these causes you directly impact the way the world views the oppressed through simply raising awareness about the topic. These don't even account for all the action you yourself could do through social media. You can instantly be connected to groups fighting for the equality of  black women and education all around the globe. However, we must remember that these movements are a message. But when it comes down to that one teacher who firmly believes that a black girl in the corner of the classroom is “taking up air and space” (42) we must be aware that she may not willingly accept that message. “Civil Rights may be at the core of equal justice movements [...] that protects our children from racial and gender discrimination but they do not have the capacity to fully redistribute power and eradicate racial inequity. There is only one practice that can do that. Love.” (194)  

I originally choose Pushout because I was unfamiliar with the specific racial prejudices exclusively that black girls my age, face day to day in school. However when I read the first chapter, my first impression was that this book is simply going to reiterate similar ideas and commonly known issues about racism without actually providing much reflection or solution. Now that I've read the last chapter, I can happily confirm I was wrong. The author not only builds the entire book around individualistic stories and experiences, but even provides solutions to every problem she talks about. Morris then closes the book with thoughtful and caring words of wisdom, but even includes an appendix filled with commonly asked questions about some of the most plaguing problems for black schoolgirls. This question and answer guide includes everyone: friends, family and even teachers. These questions range anywhere from “how can I better get along with my mom?” to “what should I do if I suspect my student is being trafficked?” (216) An author that goes to an extent to reach beyond the pages and offer direct advice, is one in whom I will applaud and appreciate well after the book is finished.

So, lets just say that after reading all of this, that you're still finding yourself at an impasse. You’re saying, “who cares?” Lets just say you dont care at all. Because you are not a black school girl. In actuality the criminalization of black girls goes way beyond, well, black girls. Criminalizing a race doesn't just stop it's effects at an imaginary line, the effects of this criminalization will seep into all other facets of life. It will make the races not affected by the criminalization seem more responsible for said criminalization, creating unfair expectations and comparisons. As well as most of the hatred will be projected towards them. Then, it will make other minorities or similar groups to that of the race being criminalized feel indirectly targeted. Affecting possibly your family, friends and so on. Finally, it will make your education less of value. As your educational institutions that are all inclusive by law, will contain some of these “criminals.”

Black school girls are just one, fantastic example of the unfairness that criminalization does for our country. The worst part is that these are children, and to not care about a child’s well being is unacceptable in schools, by law. Since when did we become such a cold hearted, merciless nation?

“There are no throwaway children. We can, and must, do better.” (179)

                       

      Citations

“Black Lives Matter.” Black Lives Matter, blacklivesmatter.com/.

“Color Of Change Helps You Do Something Real about Injustice.” ColorOfChange.com, colorofchange.org/.

“Education Advocacy Nonprofit.” Stand for Children, stand.org/national/about.

Post #4: Unfair Opportunity

Hi Blogspotters!

Today I will be discussing the evolution and importance of in my opinion, the key argument that the author is trying to stress throughout Pushout. Morris makes a lot of valuable arguments worth regonitition, however throughout the past four chapters I've read there is one argument that is clearly the foremost of importance she wants to convey to the reader. This being, that Black girls from difficult backgrounds or that show “ghetto behavior” do not receive the same oppertunities or treatment as their white counterparts in school. Specifically in chapter four, Morris focuses on this argument’s evolution through time and its presence in various types of situations.

For example, let's start in the past.

In 1936, legendary jazz artist Ella Fitzgerald was assigned to an all girls correctional institution in New York for being a “ungovernable teen.” (143) Most schools like this one in the 1930s still segregated the black children from the white. So as a result, Ella was blatantly denied equal opportunities and treatment as to what was being given to the other students. The argument here proves true as Morris’ argument here is supported by the law.

Later on, these segregational rules caused Ella to be “excluded from participating in the choir.” (143)

The pure irony of this situation is just amazing.

We all might have liked to think what could’ve become of that school to this day if they were the ones to first discover and nurture the talents of Ella Fitzgerald. Fame, praise and status would be associated with the institution, quite the opposite from the memory of being known as the school that hindered a music legend’s voice on the grounds of racism.

Even in today’s 21st century correctional institutions, “(Black) Girls dismissed as delinquents struggled to be included in discourses on correctional education and its role in returning then to their home communities and rebuilding their lives.” (141)

No matter your This “dissmissive” attitude doesnt just prove true in the 1930s and in juevenile centers, it's present in our very own public schools.

Thus, hindering the equity of oppertunity.

Today it might not be as obvious as it was in the 1930s, but still in 2019 black girls face numerous obstacles to receiving equal opportunities in their very own education. An education that is their American right. One of the most prominent points Morris makes in her argument is that in school, black girls don't receive the same opportunities as white girls in many “nuance ways”. In other words, very small, but impactful differences in the ways in which black girls are percieved in school.  One of these nunances includes the implicit bias teachers associate with a black female from a more complicated background. Morris states “teachers [...] are committed to supporting the education of all their students, but their unconscious associations between black girls and underperformance [...] leads them to assume that these girls are not capable of performing.” (51) Small things like the implicit biases teachers have from their own personal experiences around black female students, are pretty hard to control. This is an unfairness in the system, a subtle distinction that could make or break the overall performance of black girls in schools across the country.

This is not something that should be negotiable, this an education that is supposed to be an equal chance of success, for everyone. It may not be written on bathroom doors, the public water fountains, or bus seats anymore.

However just because we cannot see something doesn't mean that it isn't there.

To improve the fairness of opportunities distributed throughout American school systems, we must be aware of the small injustices that still linger in the most secretive of places, one being, in the assumptions we make in the back of our very own minds.

Post #3: The Evolution of "Bad and Cool" in Impoverished Schools

Hi Readers!

As my next blog post was quickly approaching, I felt today would be a great time to discuss my free choice topic, which is focused around a thought that I’ve pondered about even before I started reading Pushout. Today I wish to expand upon the reasons why, even in 2019, there is a mentality for many students to act “bad and cool” and to get in trouble than to be perceived as a smart “dork”. This mentality is present to some degree in most every school system around the country, but I am not surprised that according to Morris’ research expressed throughout her book, that this mindset would be more common in impoverished areas. While any race can fall victim to the expectations of the environment around them, Morris’ data suggests that it is often black students who are pressured to fit this mold of “bad and cool” more than their white counterparts. This being because sadly, the black population are the ones who as a whole occupy the more destitute areas of cities. “Bad and cool” doesn't just come from having a reputation, it doesnt emerge because you somehow summonded it,“bad and cool” is a dangerous standard that most black students from more difficult type backgrounds will envietably face during their lifetime.

One of the main reasons this mentality still exists in impoverished schools, is because it is believed that it is inherent with culture. Morris herself even states, “that we must look to American slavery as the source of every imperfection that mars the colored American.” (115) Morris in this quote is elaborating on how our society has impaired the appearance of the black American. We have taught ourselves and themselves to act and behave a certain way, and many of these conformations we can trace back to earlier times. For decades ever since the enslavement of African Americans, toughness was associated with survival. In the 1800s if you were a slave and couldn't do the work that was expected of you, you would face intense physical consequences and mistreatment. This mindset in a school setting means that street smarts are more admirable than book smarts. Especially in lower class neighborhoods, where street survival is an actuality, where in Hopkinton this is what we would only experience by watching a movie.

Street smarts are not what many of us perceive them to be. They're not just striking up small drug deals or knowing where the good and bad parts of town are, street smarts for those unfortunate enough to have to use them, mean protecting the lives of their family, friends and themselves.

Now one might say, but they are in school, there is no need to face school with the same attitude you use in the streets. In reality, this is not much of a choice. School is just one part of your day, just like waking up, eating, showering, etc. For someone who depends on their street smarts for safety, it's very naive to think that they can simply switch this mindset and replace it with an academic one for a few hours. This is very similar to the effects PTSD has on the mind. Personally from my experiences in watching members of my family, even after years away from war and violence, I witness them first hand living day to day in fear and corruption of the mind as a result of their past experiences. The violence and resistance street smarts gives you, is the same unreasonable fear and traumatic stress PTSD gives you. When you change the way your brain views the world, this changes how you decide to move within it.

It also doesn't help that those around you in these environments expect this standard of you. Your peers in lower class neighborhoods are subjected to this environment as well, and expect you to live up to the conventional image that is expected from “someone like you.”  This expectation often manifests into students trying to get attention in negative ways, to achieve this “coolness.” There are multiple ways in which a student could achieve this image deemed acceptable by society, and none of which that are good for fostering educational growth.

What can we do to change this? How can we go into impoverished schools and reverse the effects that street smarts carry into the classroom. You may not be able to reverse the effects, but you can show these students new opportunities for success, a new way to move about the world. There are many organizations tackling this issue right now, the main goal being that if these poorer black children see school more as an escape from poverty and less of a dorky environment that limits their survival, they will want to improve. This is a very important cause that should not be ignored, and with the help of communities around the country, in 10 or 20 years, street smarts will no longer be a necessity for millions of lower income black highschool kids to live up to. They will be free of an ideal that does nothing but set them up to fail later in life.

Post #2: Analysis of Technique

Hey Readers!

As we are back with another blog post and progressing in the book, I thought that now would be a great time to review and analyze the author’s unique writing style. When I continued to read more into Pushout, I began to see similar patterns that kept occurring throughout the chapters. In this overview I will be discussing my thoughts on the author’s rhetoric and utilization of various techniques, and ultimately, their effectiveness.

The first thing one notices when they open up Pushout, is that it is not a story book of one individual. It is a combination of short but important interview qoutes extracted from multiple black girl’s experiences across the US. That, intertwined with the author’s individual opinions on her chosen topics. Pushout explores various topics from chapter to chapter, however the first topic the reader will be introduced to focuses on black stigma and stereotypes in and outside of the classroom. With more pressing topics such as these, we see much more of the author’s signature bold, blunt writing style. This technique primarily presents itself in the opening and ending lines of each paragraph, a stylistic choice that gives the text a sense of urgency. Some examples of these strong, unfiltered statements include: “Black girls in classrooms across the country have been granted permission to fail by the implicit biases of teachers.” (50)  “In (Faith’s) eyes - and her words - was a rejection of the patriarchy and the idea that she was inferior just because she had been born a black girl.” (52) “I noticed posters in the classroom [...] a photo of president Obama [...] The Obama’s smiles felt inappropriate in an institution that provided so little response to girls with such significant needs.” (53) These quotes all have one thing in common, they are all extremely blunt. Morris does beat around any bushes and does not care who is reading.

,

What's wrong is wrong.

. This bluntness is what makes Morris’ language and approach to rhetoric one that is perfect for this topic.

Furthermore, in the chapters i've read so far, I was impressed by the author’s physical structure of words on the page. The phrasing of the passages neatly breaks up different ideas. Morris also frequently plays with the different usage of tones. In the first chapter, Morris’ tone was more bold and alert, however as the section progressed the tone mellowed out into a more reflective state. An example of this is when Morris stated, “people who have been harmed are the ones who harm others.” (85) This reflective and sentimental tone then becomes more academic, shortly after the author states “In my conversations with black girls and young women across the country, it became clear black girls interpreted their attitude not as a stagnant expression of anger [...] rather it was a continuum of responses to disrespectful or degrading triggers [...] many of which were present in their learning environments.” (86) I think being able to utilize different tonal colors in your writing shows your readers that you’re versatile. It was nice to see this change in progression from the bold and dramatic statements earlier on. And for the most part I loved the author’s interpretation of both. However there is a difference between being bold and being dramatic. And this is where I felt the author’s stylistic choices interfere with the reader’s understanding of the topic.

Being dramatic at the right points in a book can draw attention from the reader making that passage more memorable.  I have noticed that Morris tends to use many dramaticized expressions as her way of conveying the horrificness of a situation. I also think that when overused, this makes the author’s writing hard to understand sometimes. One example of a dramatization that struck me was “ when teachers feel physically threatened by a six year old or when “bad tantrums” are the cause for handcuffs, there is a larger problem” (64)

While it is completely inappropriate to handcuff a six year old under any circumstance, I do not quite clearly understand the entirety of this statement. The course of disciplinary action described in this quote is unacceptable, that’s very easy to see. But I find it hard to understand that anyone, nevermind an experienced teacher, could feel “physically threatened” by a six year old. They may throw tantrums that are extremely exhausting or act in violent anger, but I can not see any situation in which this is a legitimate fear that an adult could not overpower. Infact, one of the reasons adults take most of the control in a child’s early years, is due to the toddler's helplessness and vulnerability. Many parents at this stage physically will stop their child from doing something dangerous. I am also confused about where this example of “handcuffs” comes from, as there is no specific reference to it earlier in the text. If it is referring the imprisonment they will potentially face later, I feel the author should elaborate more on this. This example as a whole sums up the same problems with other statements similar to it.  

This so far is the only issue I have with the author’s writing style, in whole I love how Morris makes the passages transition smoothly and how it's easy to understand most of the key concerns she wants to raise throughout the book. Personally, I think the author could improve by giving a full scope view on some issues and dramatize less, as it can sometimes be confusing and misleading.

Post #1: Introduction and Modern Day Relevance

Hey Blogspot Readers!

Welcome to my blog! This is where i'll be posting all my personal opinions and reflections on the book Pushout, a call to action on the criminalization of black girls in the American education system. Written by Monique W. Morris, this book is a collection of appalling true, real life consequences young black women still face in school to this day, simply for being black. It raises attention to how segregated mindsets still remain in our classrooms and why it is imperative they must change. The Washington Post calls this a book “for everyone who cares about children.” (Laughlin) However, only a few chapters in and one can clearly tell this is a book not only for everyone who cares about children, but for anyone who cares about the equality of the most basic human rights.

Growing up in the Hopkinton school system, students have been very lucky to have lived in such a sheltered and kind hearted community. However, this is a reality that is hard to come by for many Americans across the country.

As a whole, most communities are not as racially synonymous as Hopkinton, and this both has it's pros and cons. By living in a community that is made up of mostly one racial group there is as a whole no racially charged discrimination or biases associated with anyone in the group. But by being surrounded by people that look very similar to you and partake in similar cultural practices, you miss out on understanding the viewpoints and traditions of racially diverse peers. This may lead to cultural intolerance or misunderstandings later down the road if not properly educated. However, i’ve seen that Hopkinton is filled with multitudes of educated students who as a result of good education, understand to treat all races with respect. That everyone is the same.

However many pupils were not this lucky.

They were not this lucky to receive an early education in what is right and what is wrong. How could they even have time do to so when their schools are filled with “chaotic and disruptive learning spaces in which fighting are arguments were the norm [...] where adolescents were vying for attention and social status.” (37) These environments do not foster tolerance or education, and definitely not respect for one another. These schools are centered in the poorest of communities where many students feel a sense of hopelessness with no end, and as a result, act out. Many of the teachers around the country are so busy with the burden of controlling the violence of these classrooms, in the end, neglect each students potential.

From school/ghetto environments such as those, a stereotype had formed long ago about the black female. Still living to this day, there stills stems a common perception of black girls and how they must be disciplined in schools in relation to their expected behavior. This is one of the main themes in Pushout, Morris frequently questions the appropriateness of the oddly harsh punishments used when disciplining black girls. There doesn't appear to be much randomness in these patterns, through multiple specific examples Morris clearly identifies some of the arbitrary methods of punishment that exclusively black girls, are subjected to within the very places that are supposed to be nurturing them. One of the best relevant examples that illustrates the “exclusionary discipline” ( 12) black girls are subjected to in their schools, happened not too long ago on January 15. Two months ago at Binghamton Middle School, New York, four twelve year old African American girls were strip searched in speculation of drug possession simply on the accountant that they were acting “giddy.” The incident sparked so much debate that even New York Governor Andrew Cuomo commented on the situation, saying “The allegations that 12-year-old girls were strip-searched for drugs after being perceived as 'hyper and giddy' at a Binghamton middle school are deeply disturbing and raise serious concerns of racial and gender bias." (Griffith) One has to think, would the procedure have been the same if it were four white girls, four asian girls …. would it have mattered?  In the end there was much backlash to the school’s inappropriate actions towards the middle school girls, many agreeing with Gov Cuomo saying the whole situation was rooted in racial stigma.

Throughout what i’ve read so far, Morris mainly focuses her attention on the inherent connotations others associate with young black girls. Her main points as a whole are that these girls do not receive the same education experiences or opportunities as a result of racial stereotypes. She states “Black women and girls, especially those in fragile circumstances, absorb widely accepted distortions of Black American feminine identity (that they are less intelligent, hypersexual, loud, sassy, ghetto or domestic), and it undermines their [...] performance in school.” (43)

It's no secret that not everyone has the same shot at success from the starting line, but to be deprived of it simply because of what others believe you are, is one of the most harmful types of injustices a country can do. All students no matter their racial or ethnic background should have access to an education that will provide them with the opportunities they need to reach their goals, whatever they may be.  In 2019, where tolerance is growing and awareness of everyday racism is as woke as ever, there is no reason for why a stereotype can deprive even one young girl of a happy and healthy future.

                                                 Works Cited

Griffith, Janelle. "Alleged strip search of 4 black middle school girls prompts third-party investigation."NBC News, 2019 NBC Universal, 30 Jan. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/alleged-strip-search-4-black-middle-school-girls-prompts-third-n964856. Accessed 6 Mar. 2019.

Laughlin, Alex. "The startling thing that happens to black girls in preschool." The Washington Post,Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2016 www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/25/monique-morris-pushout/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fbfdb2686005. Accessed 7 Mar. 2019.