Hello and Welcome to my blog! This is a page where I will be reflecting on my interpretation of the Novel Pushout which seemingly mirrors the effect of the American school system on young Black girls. Written by Monique W. Morris, Pushout grabs the attention of readers by sharing the stories of those who were underestimated in the school system. This novel not only shares heartbreaking stories but also demonstrates the consequences of the segregation mindset that is still present in the education system today. The atrocious actions that happen to young women occur solely based on the color of their skin.
Pushout is only scratching the surface of Morris’ accomplishments. Attaining three decades of work within the areas of education, civil rights, juvenile and social justice, Morris uses her prior knowledge and experiences to enhance the harsh realities that she writes about (Bio). Other work by her includes Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-First Century, Too Beautiful for Words, Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story and Sing A Rhythm, Dance A Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls (Bio). The common theme amongst all of her books rotates around the criminalization of colored girls and the struggle for justice. Through years of research and experience, Morris has been able to capture and record many acts of injustice and racism in America. When she is not writing her novels about discrimination, Morris is still finding ways to educate others. She is the first Executive Director of Grantmakers for Girls of Color which is a program that helps organize investments made to support women, specifically girls, of color (Bio). She also is the founder and board chair of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute. This program takes the initiative to stop the incarceration pathway for girls in school, aids women in finding jobs after prison, and works on reducing sexual assault and domestic violence in the African American community (Bio). For her career in education, she worked up and down the California coast as a social justice professor for Saint Mary’s, the University of San Francisco, and California State University (Bio). Her accomplishments don’t end there, however, because she was a 2012 Sorros Justice fellow, and took upon many projects to reform, debate, and make changes to the justice system in America (Bio). Dr. Morris’ work has been reviewed and praised by the Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, and PBS along with other news outlets (Bio). For the book Pushout, the Washington Post states that Pushout is a valuable educational resource and is good for “everyone that cares about children.”
Racism is a disease that runs deep throughout the corrupt veins of America, yet, here at little Hopkinton High School, we are sheltered from the outside world. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up for debate. On one hand, because we are such a small town, that contains little to no diversity, there are little to no conflicts. Everyone knows everyone, and our tight-knit community respects one another. But on the other hand, our lack of exposure could end up impairing our views in the future. In our bubble at Hopkinton, the thought of injustice or discrimination is distant. But when kids go to college in big cities, with more diverse populations, those thoughts become a reality. The problem is, there is not much that we can do about this. The only solution to kill the virus that is racism is education. But then arises the other issue: the idea that racism is so deeply rooted in this country that even those that are supposed to be better, and helpful towards students (teachers), are predominantly showing their true colors more and more these days.
Morris shows her concern with this concept throughout the novel Pushout. She states that the American education system acts unjustly towards young women of color. From what I’ve read so far, Morris has taken readers through multiple recollections of intolerance, shared by students that have experienced it first hand. She argues that African American students do not receive the same education as students that are white. Morris states “Black girls are being criminalized in and by the very places that should help them thrive” (4-5). In just the first pages of the book, she paints a picture of just how extreme the cases of criminalization against these girls are.
The most shocking series of the stories told so far have to do with the arrests of girls under the age of 10. Morris explains that “Some of the most egregious applications of punitive school discipline this country have criminalized Black girls as young as six or seven years old, who have been arrested for throwing tantrums in their school classrooms, yelling and screaming at a teacher and being disruptive to the learning environment” (3-4). Between the years 2007-2012, there was a handful of cases proving the discrimination of young African American girls in the classroom. Selicia Johnson in 2012 found her six-year-old self being arrested all because of a tantrum, which is a normal action for a child that is struggling to express their emotions (4). Michelle Mitchell who was only a year older than Selicia, found herself in the same position as her when she got arrested in 2011 along with her brother after they got into a fight on the bus (4). Kindergartener Desre’e Watson was also handcuffed and arrested in 2007 after she had a tantrum in class (4). These few cases ended up getting attention from the media, but not every child with a similar story is that lucky. In many instances, these wrongdoings will be overlooked. Dr. Morris has a very clear message that she clearly displays at the beginning of the novel: the criminalization of young African American Girls is quite obviously a much bigger issue than it seems.
As someone who has never been discriminated against, it is perplexing and frustrating to me, that these events take place almost every day. I will never understand why others feel the need to hurt people because of something they can’t control. So Far, Monique Morris has widened my eyes and educated me on a topic that can come across as sensitive to many people. She works in a professional way to respectfully, yet forcefully stand up for those whose voices have been silenced, and I am looking forward to hearing what else she has to say.
Works Cited:
"Bio." Monique W Morris, www.moniquewmorris.me/. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
Morris, Monique W., et al. Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. Paperback edition. ed., New York, New Press, 2018.
Hi Maddy,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this book as well, and it is interesting to see other people's takes on the same book. I enjoyed reading your post. It's crazy to read about girls who have been arrested who are under the age of 10, and the examples you showed are pretty shocking. I agree with what you said in your last paragraph, I've never been discriminated against because I'm white, so it's hard to see that racism like this happens every day.
Have you heard of any stories of similar incidents happening with young black girls more recently? Is this still a prominent problem, or have things improved?
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