Babygirl, You've Got This!: Understanding the Experiences of Black Girls and Women in the English Education System

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How do Black women experience education in Britain Within British educational research about Black students, gender distinctions have been largely absent, or male-dominated. Due to the lack of attention paid to Black female students, relatively little is known about how they understand and engage with the education system, or the influences which shape their long-term strategies and decision-making in order to gain educational success. This book will illustrate the educational experiences and journeys of Black British women graduates and considers the influence of the intersections of race, gender and social class on their educational journeys. April Louise Pennant uniquely documents the entire educational journey - from primary school to university - within both elite, and predominantly white, educational institutions as well as multicultural and state funded schools, in order to examine the various accessibility, financial and academic hurdles which face Black women. The book combines theoretical frameworks such as Critical Race Theory and Black Feminist epistemology, alongside the personal accounts of the author and a range of Black British women graduates. Through analysis of the strategies, choices and decisions made by Black British women in their educational journeys, the book ultimately provides insights into how to navigate the education system effectively, and provides alternatives to normalized understandings of educational 'success'.

Author Bio

April Louise Pennant holds a PhD in Education from the University of Birmingham, UK and is a Research Associate in the Chair for Critical Studies in Higher Education Transformation (CriSHET) at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. She is a member of the African-Caribbean Research Collective and campaigns on issues surrounding diversity and black experiences in education and scholarship.