As a result, we often fail to read and respond to the behavior of black girls in ways that are consistent with their intentions. It’s really a convergence of policies, practices, and a prevailing consciousness that has both sexualized and rendered the identities of black girls and young women problematic or invisible. What do you see as the driving factors behind that? We know there’s a major discipline disparity for black girls in school. The Cut spoke with Morris about the ways pervasive stereotypes about black femininity negatively shape the educational experience of black girls. In Pushout, she documents factors from the prevalence of zero-tolerance policies and exclusionary punishment to racial bias. Morris spent four years speaking with black girls about their experiences in traditional and alternative high schools, as well as schools in juvenile detention centers across the country. As I was watching girls come in and out of juvenile detention facilities, it was really important for me to explore what was causing the disparity, and how it might look different from the experiences of boys.” “Much of the conversation about the school-to-prison pipeline was really anchored in the experience of boys and young men. “Writing that street novel really paved the way for me to explore this issue more deeply,” Morris says. Morris has been working on Pushout since she published Too Beautiful for Words in 2001 - a novel written from the perspective of a pimp, a sex worker, their son, and a female Black Panther - which became popular among girls in detention facilities.
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