Introduction/Overview: One of the most important takeaways that I have taken away from both the “Cultural Diversity in American Education” and the “High Poverty Youth: Improving Outcomes” is that the American education system is not equal or fair. A quality education in this country is not guaranteed and unfortunately many students and their families have to fight for what I believe is a fundamental right, an opportunity to be successful. Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris focuses on the experiences of Black girls in the American education system and how systemic racism and discrimination has often criminalized their existence and fundamental right to an education. Pushout: The Criminalization of …show more content…
For example, Morris cites a study that states “Between 2002 and 2006, per-district suspension rates of Black girls increased by 5.3 percent compared to a 1.7 percent increase for Black boys” (Morris, 2016, p. 82). Morris illustrates the school to prison pipeline for Black girls by sharing the stories of Black girls who have faced jail time or extreme punishments. One example is the story of Jennifer, who ended up in jail after getting into multiple fights after experiencing years of sexual trauma at home. The story of Jennifer illustrates how easy it is for teachers to simply punish bad behavior instead of investigating the route cause of it. This concept relates back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs because it shows how necessary for a student to feel safe before other issues such as behavior can be handled.
Throughout Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, Morris profiles Black girls who have had to contend with multiple struggles such as physical abuse, sex trafficking, rape and gender identity issues. The struggle of intersectionality of these issues and the racism that Black girls experience are at the route of why Black girls are so disportionately arrested and punished in comparison to their …show more content…
Morris focuses on the story of Tiana Parker, who at seven years old was sent home for wearing dreadlocks to school. The reason that Tiana was sent home is because her charter school had deemed dreadlocks, afros, and some other hair styles as being inappropriate. The fact that most of the “inapproriate” hairstyles are traditionally Black hair styles illustrates how the American education system has criminalized being Black. This criminalization of being Black along with macro and micro aggressions shows how our country is still struggling to create an equitable playing