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Reentry Resource Center - New York

Serving People from Arrest to Reintegration

Past Resources of the Week

Black Girls Matter: Pushed out, Overpoliced, and Underprotected

Monday, March 30, 2015

While black boys are suspended three times as often as white boys, black girls are suspended six times as often as white girls, according to data from the Department of Education for 2011-2012. These data form the basis of a new report by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, Priscilla Ocen, and Jyoti Nanda, titled “Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected.” Produced by the African American Policy Forum and Columbia Law School’s Center for Intersectional and Social Policy Studies, the report illuminates the unique ways in which racial bias contributes to stricter discipline for black girls. Among their recommendations, the authors call on schools, policymakers, and philanthropic organizations to include girls in research, advocacy, and interventions; to review and revise policies that lead to unwarranted levels of and disparities in discipline; and to identify signs of sexual abuse and support girls who are pregnant or parenting.