#blackgirlsmatter

Please join the African American Policy Forum and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School for the next event in our Breaking the Silence National Town Hall Series: BLACK GIRLS MATTER MIAMI TOWN HALL Thursday, May 28 6:00-9:00pm African Heritage Cultural Arts Center 6161 NW 22 Ave Miami, Florida 33142 Organized in partnership with: Power U Center The Dream Defenders Soul Sisters The Advancement Project In 2014, AAPF launched a town hall series on women and girls of color in cities throughout the country. Thus far, hearings have been held in Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City, with each convening gathering between 50 and 350 participants. To see a video preview of the series, please click here. Our commitment in hosting these hearings is to bring the circumstances facing girls of color out of the shadows and squarely into public policy debates. Against the backdrop of surveillance, punishment, and criminalization of youth of color in the United States, the Miami Town Hall seeks to increase awareness of the gendered consequences of disciplinary and push-out policies for girls of color, and, in particular, Black girls. Key decision makers will participate to suggest and advance tangible interventions. In Miami, Black girls comprise less than 1/4 of the overall girl population, but 1/3 of the number of students receiving in-school suspensions and over half of those receiving out-of-school suspensions. Consistent with the findings of our recent report, Black Girls Matter: Pushed-Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected, Black girls in Miami face a greater racialized risk of discipline in relation to white girls than Black boys do in relation to white boys.  Historically, government hearings have been held on men and boys of color, generating a deeper understanding among stakeholders of their specific needs. These hearings have led to increased public will and ultimately, the development of the black male achievement landscape we see today. Through hosting similar hearings on women and girls of color, we hope to increase our nation’s collective understanding of the disparities they experience, both those that are common to and different from their male counterparts.

Please join us as we listen to girls of color in Miami about their life experiences. Together we can lift up the realities they face and demand their inclusion in our racial justice agendas! For questions or to recieve more information about the town hall, please contact: info@aapf.org