Strong Black Girls lays bare the harm Black women and girls are expected to overcome in order to receive an education in America. This edited volume amplifies the routinely muffled voices and experiences of Black women and girls in schools through storytelling, essays, letters, and poetry. The authors make clear that the strength of Black women and girls should not merely be defined as the ability to survive racism, abuse, and violence. Readers will also see resistance and resilience emerge through the central themes that shape these reflective, coming-of-age narratives. Each chapter is punctuated by discussion questions that extend the conversation around the everyday realities of navigating K–12 schools, such as sexuality, intergenerational influence, self-love, anger, leadership, aesthetic trauma (hair and body image), erasure, rejection, and unfiltered Black girlhood. Book Features: A spotlight on the invisible barriers impacting Black girls’ educational trajectories. - A survey of the intersectional notions of strength and Black femininity within the context of K–12 schooling. - Narrative therapy through unpacking system stories of oppression and triumph. - Insights for building skills and tools to make substantial and lasting change in schools. “As Black women, we need to be reminded that we matter. These chapters help us remember and affirm that, even in the face of violence and erasure, we matter. . . . This book is a wonderful testament to the magical everydayness of the survival of Black women and girls.” ―From the Foreword by Adrienne Dixson , professor of education policy, organization, and leadership, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “The scholars of this volume provide us a textured and uninhibited glance into Black girls’ multiple realities, offering a worthwhile read for educators, parents, policymakers, and any adult helping to shape Black girls’ existence across spaces.” ― Venus E. Evans-Winters , professor of educational administration & foundations, women & gender studies, and African American studies, Illinois State University “ Strong Black Girls is reminiscent of our foremother, Anna Julia Cooper, who declared that only the Black woman can say ‘when and where I enter,’ and of Queen Latifah, who declared, ‘Ladies first.’ Much of our scholarship has been focused on the (legitimate) plight of Black boys. However, this does not mean that our girls are not worthy of attention and care. This volume underscores that they are simultaneously strong and vulnerable―and that is something we need to consider as they navigate society and its institutions.” ― Gloria Ladson-Billings , professor emerita, University of Wisconsin “Danielle Apugo, Lynnette Mawhinney, and Afiya Mbilishaka have gathered together the voices of several powerful Black women―and one strong Black girl―to lead the conversation about their lives in schools, and to imagine what an education that celebrated and nurtured their magic might look like. The stories collected in Strong Black Girls are unflinchingly remembered and richly narrated, spanning generational and geographic distance to bring readers to an understanding of Black girls’ experience in the classroom.” ― Isabel Nuñez , professor and director of the School of Education, College of Professional Studies, Purdue University Fort Wayne “This book is a necessary addition to the growing library focused on Black girls and Black girlhood. I would consider this a must-read for emerging and established scholars who are grappling with pervasive questions on how anti-Blackness has harmed Black girls but it doesn't stop here. This is an effort to pivot the conversation from deficit to desire, from delinquent to resilient… and that is this book's power.” ― Maisha T. Winn , associate dean of programs and Chancellor's Leadership Professor, co-founder and faculty director, Transformative Justice in Education (TJE) Center, School of Education, University of California, Davis “As Black women, we need to be reminded that we matter. These chapters help us remember and affirm that, even in the face of violence and erasure, we matter. . . . This book is a wonderful testament to the magical everydayness of the survival of Black women and girls.” ―From the Foreword by Adrienne Dixson , professor of education policy, organization, and leadership, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “The scholars of this volume provide us a textured and uninhibited glance into Black girls’ multiple realities, offering a worthwhile read for educators, parents, policymakers, and any adult helping to shape Black girls’ existence across spaces.” ― Venus E. Evans-Winters , professor of educational administration & foundations, women & gender studies, and African American studies, Illinois State University “ Strong Black Girls is reminiscent of our foremother, Anna Julia Cooper, who declared that only the Black woman can say ‘when