Introduction and Chapter 1

Hello readers! I am very excited to share with you my initial thoughts regarding Dr. Monique W. Morris' novel Pushout. In this post I will be analyzing the argument she makes throughout the beginning of the novel.

The introduction begins with a moving account of a fourteen-year-old girl who was the victim of police brutality at her school; it is what initially drew me to the book. If I was going to have to read a nonfiction book I wanted to read something that was not simply a collection of meaningless facts, I wanted to read something real, something raw with emotion, and Pushout has so far exceeded those expectations. The emotion contained in this book becomes clear as the foreword ends with the phrase "it is a love story" when referring to the book (xvii). Morris is incredibly passionate about equal treatment for black girls, and her love and appreciation for black girls is apparent. She hides her empathy for the struggles black girls face behind evidence that proves how difficult it is for black girls to get a good education. The introduction also lends the reader a bit more information about the author. For example, Morris writes that our society "...increases the surveillance of the homes where our families live, the communities where our children play, and the schools where our children are educated" (2). This quote discusses how the government's solution to it's problems is to place more security officers everywhere. The quote is important because it provides enough information that I can safely assume from the use of the pronoun our and Morris' clear attachment to black girls that Morris herself is black. After a quick Google search, my suspicions were confirmed. Dr. Monique Morris is a well-known black woman and a prominent civil rights scholar. The latter passage also served as an excellent segue into the overall theme; the criminalization of black girls as a result of inadequate schooling.

Dr. Monique Morris at her TED Talk on why black girls are targeted for punishment at school (Dr. Monique Morris).

In order to develop her argument, Morris uses multiple rhetorical strategies; she weaves together the perfect mix of logos and pathos. For example, following a story about a black girl and her experience with her school system, Morris cites "...a 2007 study [that] found that teachers often perceived Black girls as being 'loud, defiant and precocious...'" (11). I chose this example of logos because I appreciate that Morris uses some evidence that comes from emotional perception rather than a percentage. When reading, it is easier for me to understand logos in the form of words rather than numbers. This passage is also important because it points out the stereotypes associated with black girls that contribute to unconscious biases. Morris implements pathos by including numerous true stories about the struggles black girls face to help the reader better visualize the issue from a victim's point of view. This rhetorical decision installs a sense of sympathy for the black girls in the reader. An example of one of these short narratives is as follows, "In May 2013, Ashlynn Avery, a sixteen-year-old diabetic girl in Alabama, fell asleep while reading Huckleberry Finn during her in-school suspension. When she did not respond, the suspension supervisor allegedly threw a book at her and ordered her to leave the classroom. As she was leaving the room, a police officer allegedly slammed her face into a file cabinet and then arrested her" (3). If you did not notice, Morris includes seemingly irrelevant details about Ashlynn, such as her diabetic status and the book she was reading. However, these details are not irrelevant, rather they help the reader realize that Ashlynn Avery is not a mere character in a book, she is a real person. Morris uses details and pathos to help the reader understand that this is a real issue; black girls actually are experiencing inequality and unfair treatment.

Morris also develops her argument by referencing other issues such as feminism, racism, and sexuality. Obviously, she talks about racism throughout the entire book, discussing the concept of unconscious bias. Morris emphasizes that black girls have an incredibly hard time achieving things because they are female, but she also stresses how important it is that black girls take pride in their femininity. She goes about this by capitalizing the word "Black" when referring to black girls; I believe Black is capitalized to emphasize that these girls are black and female, and they should be proud of it. The capitalization draws attention to the adjective. Morris talks about sexuality by telling the story of Portia, a girl who identifies as a boy. Portia's story serves as an example that when black girls are confused about their sexuality, it can lead to "...alienation from the very programs meant to help [them]" (28). Before I started this book, I had always wondered who has it hardest in this world. I arrived at an answer in the form of a black woman who is confused about her sexuality, and Dr. Morris agrees with me. Each label you force onto a black girl makes her life harder, whether it is gay, dumb, difficult, or poor.

The purpose of this text is not very hard to grasp; Morris comes out and states that "The purpose of this book is to interrogate the racial and gender inequality that still prevails in education more than sixty years after Brown v. Board of Education" (8). Morris repeatedly refers to Brown v. Board of Education "...as the landmark case that ended legal segregation in our society" (7).  She insists that while it ended legal segregation "...it did not address the ways in which enduring xenophobia, tribalism, and the intersections between race and poverty would sustain de facto segregation..." (7). Morris continually references the case as a reminder that inequality still exists in the educational system today despite efforts to dissuade it. Morris' purpose is evident as she discusses the fact that the majority of black girls go to schools that are considered "...a rowdy place where children regularly [fight], teachers [are] distracted, and [students are] tempted to do harmful things to themselves and to other for money" (44). I know that my school definitely does not fall into those categories, so the reader must assume that these schools are bigger public schools. With a bigger student population comes more issues, that is nothing new, it is to be expected. Morris puts a lot of weight on the argument that these black girls go to schools that treat them unfairly, but it is likely that the schools simply do not have enough time, staff, or money to try to keep one girl in school. However, the description of the school certainly does not seem like the best environment to be educated in, and I suspect that if I was in that school I would have more difficulty succeeding than I do at my current school. In addition to her colorful descriptions of the poor education black girls receive, Morris argues that while all teachers and educators insist that they do not see color, they unconsciously are biased against black girls. They give up on black girls earlier, hand out more punishments to black girls, and fail in the education of black girls. Morris discusses the concept of permission to fail. She talks about a young black girl in the first grade; when the girl, Shannon, was asked to complete a writing assignment and refused, her teacher let her refuse, saying that Shannon could finish it some other time (50). This is a clear example of the unconscious bias people have against black girls. It is clear that the teacher has lower expectations for Shannon. In my school, my teachers would encourage me to do the work, or discipline me if I refused to do it.

Before I end today's blog, I must address my thoughts on Pushout so far. I think that this book is very well-written, it engages me even though I am usually not very keen on reading non-fiction. My interest is almost entirely due to the fact that Morris includes multiple true accounts of black girls being discriminated against. While Pushout is a good book in terms of the writing, I personally think that Morris is stretching a bit to connect the high rates of black girls becoming criminals to their education. I do not believe that educators should be entirely blamed for their students' failures. These girls have the ability to stay in school, they do not have to steal things or become prostitutes. I am a firm believer in the idea that anyone can excel to anything they put their mind to. Perhaps I too have an unconscious bias, after all, I am a privileged white girl going to an amazing school that has millions of dollars put into it every year. However, I do not think that the school systems are entirely to blame. Sure, they could try a little harder to connect with all of the black girls individually, but it is incredibly difficult to do that if the school is large and experiences a lot of problems that are bigger than a single girl. Morris makes an interesting connection between the criminalization of black girls and the school systems, but it is ultimately a girl's decision as to whether or not she will try regarding her education. I am looking forward to discovering what Morris proposes as a solution to this criminalization.

Works Cited

      “Dr. Monique Morris.” National Black Women's Justice Institute, www.nbwji.org/.

      Morris, Monique W. Pushout: the Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. New Press, 2018.