A lot of my UU friends happen to be religious educators. So when I read articles or studies about black children and education, I think about them.
It so happens that just as GA was ending, Georgetown University Law School released a study called "Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls' Childhood", which shows that starting at age five (that's right, 5) black girls are viewed as less innocent and more adult than other girls. The press release from Georgetown says the following:
Sit with those results for a minute.
In conjunction with the results of the study done by Dr. Philip Atiba Goff released in 2014 about views of black boys which had similar findings (the big difference is the Georgetown study shows the loss of innocence starting for girls at age 5, Dr. Goff's research shows the loss of innocence for boys starting at age 10), a disturbing picture presents itself.
What does this mean for UU RE programs?
I know the hard work that RE Directors/Ministers/Administrators put in to setting up their programs. Are they working at a disadvantage* though? If the people who volunteer to work in the RE program have a certain set of assumptions about black children (and I could probably extend that to all children of color), can that be overcome?
How can UU RE programs nurture the souls of children many see as needing less nurturing, comforting, protection, or support?
What support can UU churches give to adults who have had to live with this their entire lives?
How can UU churches educate to counter oppression?
more later.
