EP 22: Researching Black Girl Magic & Anti-Black Girl Violence in Middle Schools with Dr. Ashley Smith-Purviance

Good day to you! Welcome to another episode of the Equity Experience podcast - an online community for K-12 educators and school leaders, where we share experiences, wisdom, and strategies for advancing racial educational equity. In Episode 22, we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Ashley Smith-Purviance, a  professor at Providence College, and researcher who shows the treatment of  black girls that are in middle school in predominantly white neighborhoods. We discuss the many challenges that these girls face in predominantly white schools, and the violence against their bodies. We also discuss teacher responses to the violence, how we can help them survive, implications for community organizers, and a program established by Dr. Ashley Smith-Purviance that allows black girls to have a safe space to be themselves and talk about a problem they are having in school or with a peer. Highlights from this podcast include: ::Challenges middle school aged black girls face in a predominately white school. ::Violence against black girls and their bodies. ::Responses from teachers about violence to black girls. ::Programs in schools that help provide a safe place for black girls. ::Equity-centered strategies and best practices for school leaders to consider ::Implications for community organizers and advocates Ashley L. Smith-Purviance is an Assistant Professor in Black Studies and Public and Community Service Studies at Providence College. She received her PhD from the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has also completed a doctoral minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. Ashley’s research centers the experiences of young Black girls in two predominantly white, suburban middle schools and the development of an identity-based group space she created alongside the students and Black women community members called, Black Girl Magic. Her dissertation, entitled Everyday Anti-Black Girl Violence: Surviving and Learning Amidst Persistent School Violence Against Middle School Black Girls, examines the discipline, punishment, and multiple forms of violence Black girls experience in schools. Her research has been informed by her work as a creator and co-facilitator developing curriculum with elementary and middle school Black girls, in support group spaces at various schools. ************************************ The Equity Experience Podcast is brought to you by Dr. Karla Manning, Founder & President of The Equity Leadership Group, LLC.   We help K-12 school leaders and educators create culturally responsive classrooms and schools with our diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting services. I invite you to schedule a discovery call if your organization is interested in our curriculum development, leadership training, or equity auditing services: https://calendly.com/karlamanning/discoverycall20mins