In discussions in New Orleans, Chicago, New York, Boston, Northern and Southern California, and other places where I have spoken with girls about “bad” behavior, Black girls have shared that their “attitude” is often a reaction to feeling disrespected. At times that reaction is verbal, and at other times the reaction is physical. However, it is important to understand these reactions in context. People who have been harmed are the ones who harm others. When Black girls are perceived to be lashing out against others and themselves, what’s happening can’t be understood without an illumination of
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