Pushout Meeting #2 this Thursday

The next meeting to discuss Pushout is on Thursday, August 4, from 4:00-5:30, at the Philadelphia Writing Project (42nd and Locust).  Here are some questions and points of discussion we are thinking about! 

The poet Audre Lorde once wrote, and I paraphrase, “I have a duty to speak the truth as I see it and share not just my triumphs, not just the things that feel good, but the pain, the intense – often unmitigated pain,” that often goes dismissed and unnoticed.

The author has detailed several accounts of the criminalization of black girls in  schools . How does this quote expand on her general theme?

Chapters 3 and 5: Jezebel in the Classroom & Learning on Lockdown

Questions and discussion points:

1. What is a Jezebel ? Are there other names that you can think of that are synonyms for the word?

2. How do strict dress codes endanger black girls when they are thrown out of school for not following such dress codes?

3. Do strict dress codes stop behavior issues in the classrooms overall? What has been your experience as an educator with dress code policies?

4. Here is a quote from a speech by  of Malcolm X  in 1962: The most disrespected woman in America, is the black woman. The most un-protected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America, is the black woman.

How is this still true today for our young black female students today?  On page 123 one young girl wrote on a sign, "I am not my booty."  As educators how do you help young black girls appreciate and value themselves?

6. Beyonce's grandmother :

“Take one pint of water, add a half pound of sugar, the juice of eight lemons, the zest of half lemon. Pour the water into one, then to another several times. Strain through a clean napkin. Grandmother. The alchemist. You spun gold out of this hard life. Conjured beauty from the things left behind. Found healing where it did not live. Discovered the antidote in your own kitchen. Broke the curse with your own two hands. You passed these instructions down to your daughter, who then passed them down to her daughter.”

How does the author shed light on the metaphorical lemonade making or personal struggles and hardships for girls trying to learn on lockdown?

{Peggy Savage, Kristin Luebbert, Kait McCann}