Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools

by Monique W. Morris

In a separate conversation, Diamond agreed. When I asked her what might keep her in school, she replied, “Like, probably, more attention. More attention and providing of what I ask. Like, if I ask that I need something, it’s not that I’m trying to annoy you. I’m trying to ask you for things that I really actually need.” “When you think about the other needs you have in your life,” I said, “how can the school help you so that you don’t have to do anything illegal to get it? What do you need to stay focused in school and doing what you’ve got to do?” “I don’t know about the other girls that’s in the sex industry, but for me, like, I like to talk about it and get it out of my system. . . . I don’t know, cry about it and stuff. I think that would help me better because, I don’t know, I like to share.” Narrative is a powerful tool for learning and for rehabilitation. In Diamond’s response and in Jennifer’s call for a space that would allow her to talk through the importance of education were requests to rebuild a relationship—not just with individuals but with school as an institution.