“We always tell them, but they don’t do anything about it!” Middle School Black girls Experiences with Sexual Harassment at an Urban Middle School

• Published in: Urban education (Beverly Hills, Calif.) Vol. 58; no. 10; pp. 2543 - 2569
• Main Authors: Harris, Johari, Kruger, Ann C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.12.2023; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Administrators; African American Students; Black people; Black women; Females; Gender Bias; Girls; Intersectionality; Middle School Students; Middle schools; Racism; School Role; Sex crimes; Sexism; Sexual Abuse; Sexual Harassment; Student Attitudes; Student Experience; Teachers; Urban areas; Urban Schools; Black girls; race; middle school; youth development; identity; subjects; sexual harassment; adolescent; urban education; programs
• ISSN: 0042-0859; 1552-8340
• DOI: 10.1177/0042085920959131

Black women and girls are frequently left out of narratives on sexual harassment/sexual violence due to pervasive racism and sexism. Schools contribute to this silence by continuing to overlook the exceptional needs and experiences of Black girls. Therefore, this qualitative study used an intersectional lens to examine Black girls’ experiences with sexual harassment in an urban middle school. Results indicated participants experienced both physical and verbal sexual harassment and felt their concerns were largely ignored or/or minimized by teachers school administrators. Recommendations for creating safe spaces for Black girls in urban middle schools are provided.