In a 2017 research article from the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown Law, “Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls Childhood,” authors Rebecca Epstein, Jamilia J. Blake and Thalia Gonzalez wrote that often times black girls are seen as being older, louder and more difficult…I can speak from personal experience. I was always
Last week, Impact Austin, the women’s giving circle that pools individual donations to make large grants to local nonprofits, announced its first grant to a collaborative project to advance equity for women and girls of color in Central Texas. The $110,000 grant will fund the “Innocence Initiative,” an effort led by Measure Austin to address
Times have changed since the 1930s, and girls’ experiences in the criminal justice system have too. Yet echoes of my grandmother’s time remain. According to the report “The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline,” published by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, the Ms. Foundation for Women and Rights4Girls, girls in the criminal justice
As the co-author of a groundbreaking 2015 report on sexual trauma and juvenile justice, [Rebecca] Epstein’s one of the country’s leading experts on the issue. “In many ways, this case is an example of the system responding to a girl of color who has experienced trauma by punishing her,” Epstein said. “When we punish these
The Center on Poverty and Inequality commissioned painter Ashley Joi and photographer Sancha McBurnie to create original works to complement the report, pieces that were displayed at a reception following the presentation. Both artists shared their perspectives with the audience. Epstein stressed that the Center on Poverty seeks change at a system level, working to
On the latest episode of @ToTheContrary, Dr. Jamilia Blake and and Rebecca Epstein of the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality discuss their research findings that show adults view black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, beginning as young as age 5. Watch the Full Video on PBS
“It’s really striking that in the context of childhood, which is the epitome of innocence, Black girls are not getting the benefits of being viewed as innocent,” Rebecca Epstein, the executive director of the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, told Vox. “Black women and girls really attributed the source of this to the
As recent as last week, a report was issued by Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality that details stunning statistics and first-hand accounts of how American society and our education system are stacking the odds against young girls of color. It starts early, says Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37). “It can actually start with pre-school,”
If you were to write a letter to your childhood self, knowing everything you know now, what would it say? If you’re black and female, you would likely use the word “adversity” a lot. A new report from the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality reaffirms that being a black girl isn’t easy.A survey
Apple Podcasts Research has already shown that black girls are seen by adults as less childlike than white girls. This phenomenon, known as “adultification,” was first documented two years ago by researchers at Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality. Now, a followup study reveals that, not surprisingly, black girls and women sharply feel the