Their actions are taken-they are misunderstood-as aggressive, even when they’re not. And within this elevated climate of punishment, typical adolescent behavior, when exhibited by Black girls coming from communities under extreme surveillance, is very often misunderstood. Monique Morris: There are zero tolerance policies in schools and school districts that have really removed the discretionary decision-making abilities of educators and administrators to respond to the core needs of students. What’s at work here? What are the forces that have made these girls targets in their schools and communities? Lately we’ve seen some of those arrests in the news - I’m thinking of that child in South Carolina who was thrown across her classroom by a police officer because she wouldn’t give up her cell phone. public schools, but 42 percent of girls’ expulsions and more than a third of girls’ school-based arrests. Let’s start with the numbers - Black girls make up 16 percent of girls in U.S. Recently she talked to NEA Today about the need for educators to “lead with love.”

In her book, Morris, co-founder of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, shares the voices and stories of these girls, and also offers specific policy recommendations and strategies for educators. This story of Jennifer’s “pushout” is the story of far too many Black girls in America. After being raped at age 12, pushed into prostitution, bounced around foster homes, and repeatedly suspended from school, her opportunity had been lost. But Jennifer hadn’t attended school regularly for years. “I think education is important, because nobody can take that from you,” a 16-year-old named Jennifer told Monique Morris, author of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools.

Monique morris pushout