Societal perceptions play significant roles in shaping the experiences and opportunities available to Black women. These perceptions are often rooted in stereotypes and historical biases that continue to negatively impact every area of their lives, from employment and education to healthcare and personal relationships and everything in between. From embryo to grave, inequalities impact all areas of Black women and girls lives as daughters, students, mothers, carers, employees, residents. Understanding these impacts and exploring pathways to change offers a critical opportunity to foster a more equitable society.
The theme of International Women’s Day 2025 is Accelerate Action. With the current trend on eradicating diversity, equity and inclusion practices and challenging progress as ‘woke’, we believe that the time is right for us to grasp the issues.
The time for change is now. #AccelerateAction
Soul Purpose 360 is a Black women’s empowerment organisation. The #DefinitionRedefined campaign seeks to raise awareness of the injustices that are experienced by Black women daily.
In a series of blogs over the coming weeks, Soul Purpose 360 CEO, Palma Black shares some personal anecdotes, some disturbing statistics, research data and case studies that highlight the disparities that Black women and girls face daily. These issues and more will be explored at our forthcoming International Women’s Day conference #DefinitionRedefined as we make the case for a national Commission on Black Women & Girls…
Today, we consider Black Girls & Education.
Black Girls and Education
As a child, I was repeatedly told by my parents that I would have to “work twice as hard, to achieve half as much as white children.” It felt unfair to have this pressure placed upon me. I recall so many instances when I thought I had been treated unfairly by teachers; unseen, dismissed, not praised or even acknowledged; all this before the tender age of ten. I later learned that this mantra was commonplace among my Black friends.
Secondary school was even tougher. Some teachers would refuse to give me textbooks and would insist I sit at the back of the class. On many occasions I was not called to answer questions; despite raising my hand first or being marked down in homework for being ‘rude in class’, when all I did was try to participate in class discussions. At Parents Evening these same teachers would tell my parents that I needed to ‘engage in class more’ or that I could be ‘cheeky’; and then I would be scolded by my parents for not trying hard enough and disrespecting the teachers. The pressure placed on Black children through parental expectation, comes in the face of challenge from those in positions of power and influence in schools. For many, a natural desire to learn can be faced with indifference from teachers with low expectations of them as Black children.
A 2017 study found that from the age of five, Black girls were viewed as more adult-like throughout all stages of childhood in comparison to white girls. This increased at age 10-14, where they were perceived as more mature, more sexually aware and less innocent. The study backed up similar findings from a 2009 paper, and research from 2014 – all of these studies categorise this behaviour as ‘adultification’, and conclude that it is dehumanising for the children involved. The case of Child Q highlighted the issue further. To refresh your mind, Child Q In 2020, a Black female child of secondary school age, was stripped and searched by female police officers from the Metropolitan Police Service. The search, which involved the exposure of Child Q’s intimate body parts, took place on school premises, without an appropriate adult present and with the knowledge that Child Q was menstruating.
From childhood through to adulthood, Black girls are at a clear disadvantage in their desires to achieve in academic studies because stereotypes that portray them as ‘less academically capable’, and more, can lead to lower expectations from teachers and peers, affecting their educational experiences and outcomes. These perceptions often result in decreased access to advanced coursework and a lack of support and encouragement.
Despite these realities for Black children, research has shown that young people from the Black major ethnic group are more likely to go on to higher education than average, but less likely to obtain high grades, enter ‘prestigious’ universities, end up in a highly skilled job, study further or have career satisfaction.
There is little evidence that much has changed from the 1970’s classroom till now. Black girls may be excelling in school classroom because their parents are more aware of racism and discrimination in the school system, but much more needs to be done to level the playing field both in formal, higher and further education. Many of our members share issues relating to their children’s experiences in the school system; those of expulsions, racial harassment and indifference from teachers, and will also share stories from their own childhood traumas.
Notwithstanding the challenges I faced, I did go on to university. Much later in life, I realised how much of my education was self-taught because I certainly didn’t get help in class like my white peers. As a parent, I too have had to impress upon my children the same mantra, recognising that despite decades passing between my experiences and theirs, that there is still a need to let Black children know that the world is stacked against them…
It may be argued that we need more representation of Black women in educational leadership roles and curriculum development to foster an environment where all students feel valued and capable of achieving their full potential. However, members in the Soul Purpose 360 Teachers & Academics WhatsApp group express concerns about the racism they face as teachers, prompting many to leave the profession to safeguard their own personal mental and physical health. Social policies that promote equitable education, culturally competent teaching, and funding for mentorship programmes for pupils and Black teaching staff alike, may help counteract these negative stereotypes and address the imbalance.
Soul Purpose 360 believes that it is time for this issue to form part of a bigger conversation about how the negative narratives about Black women and girls continue to impact our life chances and is calling for a National Commission on Black Women and Girls. Join the conversation by attending the #DefinitionRedefined Conference on 8th March in London. Registration and more information can be found here: bit.ly/SP360IWD25
Palma Black,
Founder & CEO
Soul Purpose 360 CIC
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