Black girl magic: Empowerment stories of black dual status girls

Abstract

Youth formally involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, referred to as dual status youth-face unique challenges in their systems involvement. There is a steady increase of Black dual status girls. Black dual status girls experience compounding racially gendered discrimination and inequities in these systems, including occurrences of sexual abuse in out-of-home placements and harsher juvenile punishments for minor delinquent acts. These gruesome realities can be overwhelming for Black girls leaving them tasked to navigate toward positive outcomes independently or with limited positive support. Still, Black girls demonstrate a strong ability to overcome discriminatory adversities, through a relentless dismissal of narratives of racialized and gendered stereotypes; and using their empowered voices to recount personal stories of their lived experiences of dual system involvement. Theoretical frameworks for understanding the empowerment of Black dual status girls have focused on deficits, and disregarding the powerful intersectional, gendered systemic racism they endure. Thus, this study proposes a conceptual framework to view the protective factors and positive racialized and gendered identity of Black dual-status females. The approach in this study is to integrate Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Black feminism. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, six Black women, 18–36 years old (M = 25) with previous dual system involvement were interviewed with their responses explored in a retrospective analysis. The participants described obstacles related to their dual system involvement and their outcomes of living powerful and successful lives in adulthood. Key themes from findings are: 1) unveiling structural and gendered experiences of Black dual status girls; 2) trauma and triumph: navigating adversity through resistance, critical interrogation of oppressive systems, and engaging in collective responsibility; and 3) Black girl magic: celebrating the strengths and empowerment demonstrated by Black women and girls through centering their voices, raising the collective consciousness, and emphasizing collective responsibility. Illuminating the voices of Black empowered girls in this study is critical in interrupting racial and gender discrimination in these systems and will contribute to how anti-oppressive practices for Black girls are reimagined.