The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2017 Queens Speak - A Youth Participatory Action Research Project: Exploring Critical Post- Traumatic Growth among Black Girls within the School to Prison Pipeline Stacey Michelle Ault University of San Francisco, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the African American Studies Commons, Education Commons, and the Social Work Commons Recommended Citation Ault, Stacey Michelle, "Queens Speak - A Youth Participatory Action Research Project: Exploring Critical Post-Traumatic Growth among Black Girls within the School to Prison Pipeline" (2017). Doctoral Dissertations. 348. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/348 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. University of San Francisco QUEENS SPEAK - A YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT: EXPLORING CRITICAL POST TRAUMATIC GROWTH AMONG BLACK GIRLS WITHIN THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education International and Multicultural Education Department In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education By Stacey Michelle Ault San Francisco May 2017 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract QUEENS SPEAK - A YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT: EXPLORING CRITICAL POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH AMONG BLACK GIRLS WITHIN THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE A gap exists in both research and practice when it comes to issues related to girls within the school-to-prison pipeline. Girls are also often ignored in the educational literature about trauma. Educators tend to take a deficit approach toward youth experiencing trauma and often reinforce trauma through discriminatory and exclusionary disciplinary practices. Using a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology centered in the lives of Black girls, with an intentional focus on their agency and growth, this study educated, coached, and supported a research team called Queens Speak. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to elevate the voices of Black girls, through YPAR, by engaging them in a process of inquiry that allowed them to share their experiences within the school-to-prison pipeline; develop counter narratives to the dominant, deficit based, view of trauma; and share the new knowledge they created with educational decision makers. The secondary purpose of this study was to explore critical post traumatic growth among Black girls. This was done through critical ethnography, by observing the experiences of Black girls, reflecting on the YPAR process and highlighting how Black girls exhibited agency and growth amidst trauma. This research highlighted the ways schools further traumatize students through racial stereotyping and punitive discipline. Black girls dealt with invisibility, competition, family issues and ii colorism. Queens Speak also displayed strength and growth. Collectively, Queens Speak members portrayed an understanding of their identity and history; a belief in their own power; a focus on their future; an interest in community activism; a desire to leave a legacy; and self-expression through the arts. Using photos, poetry, music and art young women presented their findings to educators and administrators; sharing their experiences within the school-to-prison pipeline, as well as their resistance and growth amidst harsh circumstances. Finally, this research explored the emerging conceptual framework of critical post traumatic growth. This framework combined Critical Race Theory and Post Traumatic Growth, highlighting eight tenets that can be used as a lens to both explore, and increase, the growth among Black girls. These tenets are: context, identity, struggle, resistance, navigation, community, voice and hope. iii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. ______________________________________ ___________________ Stacey Michelle Ault Date Dissertation Committee Dr. Shabnam Koirala-Azad 4/26/2017 Chairperson Dr. Susan Katz 4/26/2017 Dr. Patrick Camangian 4/26/2017 iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the Black children and young people who trust me enough to call me Mama Stacey. Some of you I birthed (sorry, you didn’t have a choice); others chose to be part of our family ... all of you changed my life. This dissertation is also dedicated to the Black children and young people who are not with us because of death, incarceration or exploitation. We failed you. You deserved better. May your stories be heard. May they motivate resistance and inspire change. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My babies. This dissertation wouldn’t have been possible if y’all hadn’t allowed me the time and energy required to drive to the city every other weekend and study late into the night. Sometimes we sat around the kitchen table studying together, sometimes I showed up at your Starbucks and harassed your life, other times I dragged my computer to soccer games and cheer performances. Y’all became grown through this process, and picked up babies, went to the store (I swear I haven’t been grocery shopping in about four years), and sometimes even did the dishes. Either way you’ve been hella patient. I love you … If you can just extend your patience into my mandatory post-doctoral fellowshipping we’ll be ok. My partner. Having you join this journey has been indescribably unexpected… Thank you for the times you put off your own studying to review my drafts; or when you left reviewing my shit til the last minute and then fell asleep with my dissertation in your lap; or brought me wine to random places; or made the sun set right before my eyes; or reminded me (often) how amazing I was. You listened to me fuss, a lot. And were patient with my imposter syndrome even though it bugged the shit out of you. They should have never let us in. They stay having no idea. Parking lot shenanigans can change lives. Or at least shake them up. I live you. My parents. Dr. Ault, you did this … you exposed me to revolutionary music, socialist worker party newspapers, and hippie fayres. You made me analyze TV advertisements with a critical feminist lens at seven years old; and forced me to read and write and read and read. One of my life goals is to have a library as extensive as yours. Dr. Chimimba, you gave me life. I am committed to international educational and social vi transformation, and serving my people. Thank you for showing me who my people are. Mum, you taught me how to make a mean cup of tea. You taught me, through service, you can nurture, sooth, invigorate. Unless your tea tastes like piss water then well … Thank you for making tea that doesn’t taste like piss water. You also have provided for my babies when I couldn’t. They, and I, appreciate you. My siblings. Whether we met a few years ago, or have lived an entire life together I am so thankful for you. Being a big sister is a huge responsibility. Often, I fail. Always, you forgive. My squad. Together we did this. You accepted my phone calls and allowed me to dream big. You sent texts at precisely the right time and, as always, were there for all the big moments in my life. We shared wine, and articles and plans and futures. We can’t stop here. We got shit to do. Thank you forevermore. My bougie school bestie – especially you. Thank you for being the other one. I cut out TV for three years until you forced me back to Scandal. Shonda needs Jesus, but she made me feel like I could fix shit. Don’t think this experience would have been the same without you. I am thankful we were on this journey together. You made it semi- bearable. Hurry up so we can de-tox. Queens Speak, BMAD and all the young people who harass my life, eat my food, sleep on my couch, text me encouraging words, inspire me with your stories, stay overcoming shit, continue to grow, get on my nerves, complain and whine, make mistakes, share successes … this is ours. We did this. You are so much more everything than I was at your age – so if I can pull this off ... you can too. Let’s infiltrate these vii spaces, take back what they said we couldn’t have, build our own shit, inspire new imaginations, and create communities where we all eatin’. I gotchu … Y’all got this. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 Introduction