Why black girls are targeted for punishment at school -- and how to change that | Monique W. Morris

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2019

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Around the world, black girls are being pushed out of schools because of policies that target them for punishment, says author and social justice scholar Monique W. Morris. The result: countless girls are forced into unsafe futures with restricted opportunities. How can we put an end to this crisis? In an impassioned talk, Morris uncovers the causes of "pushout" and shows how we can work to turn all schools into spaces where black girls can heal and thrive.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This TED Talk features author and social justice scholar Monique W. Morris, recorded live at TED Women 2018.
0:10.0	When I was in the sixth grade, I got into a fight at school.
0:15.0	It wasn't the first time I'd been in a fight, but it was the first time one happened at school. It was with a boy who was about a foot taller than me,
0:24.6	who was physically stronger than me,
0:26.6	and who'd been taunting me for weeks.
0:29.6	One day in PE, he stepped on my shoe
0:32.6	and refused to apologize,
0:34.6	so filled with anger, I grabbed him and I threw him to the ground.
0:39.3	I'd had some previous judo training.
0:45.3	Our fight lasted less than two minutes,
0:48.3	but it was a perfect reflection of the hurricane that was building inside of me.
0:52.3	As a young survivor of sexual assault
0:55.0	and as a girl who was grappling with abandonment
0:57.0	and exposure to violence in other spaces in my life.
1:00.0	I was fighting him,
1:02.0	but I was also fighting the men and boys that had assaulted my body
1:06.0	and the culture that told me I had to be silent about it.
1:10.0	A teacher broke up the fight,
1:11.6	and my principal called me in her office,
1:13.6	but she didn't say, Monique, what's wrong with you?
1:18.6	She gave me a moment to collect my breath and asked,
1:21.6	what happened?
	...

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