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In rather small increments, conversations and scholarship on the experiences of gifted Black girls (GBGs) are emerging in gifted education literature. The narratives around the experiences of GBGs have largely been invisible or used to compare with the experiences of gifted Black males (Anderson, 2020; Collins et al., 2020). Across other educational sectors, much of the scholarship and research on Black girls has centered on advocacy, equity, and for school spaces to recognize their talents and gifts (Anderson & Coleman-King, 2021; Anderson, 2020). According to Anderson, "Our moments of success or achievement are often framed by educators and peers as coincidental or a surprise, not as a norm" (p. 87). With these issues of erasure and invalidation in mind, there have been several calls for an intersectional approach to understanding the needs, characteristics, and schooling experiences of GBGs in K-12 and postsecondary settings. Black girls are not monolithic; conversations around their needs must factor in age, region, type of schooling experience, class, language, ethnic/cultural background, religion, etc. This begs us to question, what do GBGs need to feel seen, excel, and feel safe in gifted programming? We must unpack their ways of being (culture), knowing (theory), and doing (ways they are culturally engaged); elements that have primarily been unexplored in gifted education.
While there is more literature on the experiences of Black girls in STEM education, few have addressed the critical need to examine the nuanced realities of GBGs in STEM-related contexts. As we critically reflected on the out-of-school experiences and research on GBGs in STEM, what is missing from GBG experiences is an intersectional lens and approach. Intersectionality theory examines the interconnectedness of social classifications like race, class, and gender; and how the connectivity of these labels create nuanced experiences and layered barriers to access. We can and should provide K-12 and postsecondary STEM programming that is informed by the nuanced experiences, challenges, and abilities of Black girls who exist at the intersection of race, gender, and-because of the stratification of U.S. public schools-socioeconomic status. Intersectionality theory allows us to move beyond surface conversations around identity, providing a framework for critical dialogue(s) surpassing superficial awareness of underrepresentation.
Despite their level of involvement, the unique experiences of Black girls are often an afterthought, and not...