Transformational Resistance and Developing a Critical Consiousness for Students in Their Early Stages of Schooling and Beyond

Black Middle School Students :Subject to the School to Prison Pipeline, Vulnerable to Droppping Out of Highschool.

      Not much research has been conducted on black students' racial oppression in middle school specifically, however there has been a pattern of black female students who have dropped out of high school specifically because of experiences they had in middle school that triggered them and were never addressed by anyone. In both middle and high schools, black girls are disproportionately punished for "bad behavior" over their white counterparts, which most often leads them into dropping out of school because they feel as if whatever they do, they will be punished for it, even if it is something that is menial. For example Kimberlé Crenshaw' notes in the AAPF Black Girls Matter Report, that "in 2014 a 12 year old girl faced criminal expulsion charges after writing "hi on a locker room wall of her Georgia middle school" (Crenshaw, 2015 pg. 6). At a young age, actually before middle school age, black students, are criminalized, looked at by their white teachers and students as a threat, a disruption to the classroom, and a waste of time dealing with. Because of this, black students are more likely than any other group to become victims of the school to prison pipeline. The school to prison pipleine is a term used to describe what happens to most students of color once attending schools, because they are racially profiled as criminals, they are often arrested or put in prison for small things that they do in school, like writing hi on a locker room wall. Many white teachers tend to give up on black students especially during middle school and high school age, and instead of working their problems out with them, they call the police, antagonize the students, because they are unwilling to try to help these students it is easier for them to "not waste their time" dealing with these students. However when black students and in particular black girls of middle school age are harshly punished for low level rule breaking, not given encouragement by their teachers, many black middle school students don't see the point in going to school.
     The neglection of black students in middle school, and the assumption that these students don't care about their education, and are not committed to performing well in school increases the likelihood of black students dropping out of high school, or performing badly through out their educational career. In fact in Andrew J. Fuligni's book, Contesting Stereotypes, and Creating Identities, he explains that "black children will be more likely to devalue school when they are aware of discrimination against their group" (Fuligni, 2007, pg. 146). If black students understand that they are being racial discriminated against by their white teachers, and administrators without feeling as if they have anyone to support them as they attend school or that they are able to use their voice without being punished, they are more likely to leave. However this should not be the case, it is important that you, black middle school students understand that even though you are being racially oppressed by the faculty and administration in your school, dropping out of school is not constructive, meaning this doesn't change anything. Black middle school students are taught to understand that they have no power in changing these circumstances but that is not true, there is room for change and it is important that black middle school students understand this now, before going off to high school. Black middle school students have the power to stop the school to prison pipeline, and prevent black students from dropping out of school.

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