Black girls have a unique experience of institutional racism and sexism.
- Black girls attending Pittsburgh Public Schools are suspended from school 3 times more often than white girls, though their behavior is not that different.
- Across Allegheny County, Black girls are 50% more likely than White girls to experience teen dating violence, more than twice as likely to be raped, and over four times as likely to be threatened or injured with a weapon.
FISA Foundation, in partnership with the Heinz Endowments, commissioned Snapshot: Inequities Affecting Black Girls in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to draw attention to alarming gender and racial disparities that Black girls in our region face. This report written by Dr. Sara Goodkind, Associate Professor of Social Work, Sociology, and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, with input from nearly a dozen community partners, utilizes recent local data to shine a spotlight on barriers that impede the health, well-being, and education of Black girls in our region.
“We are proud to support the efforts of local advocates, researchers, practitioners and girls themselves in drawing attention to the serious inequities highlighted in this report, and their advocacy to change policy and practice to address bias,” commented FISA Foundation Executive Director, Kristy Trautmann.
The report will be released at the Gwen’s Girls Equity Summit on Friday, October 14th. This day-long conference will include panel discussions and presentations focused on data highlighted in the report and will launch work groups that will continue to meet throughout the year. The goal is to collaborate across systems and disciplines to address the root causes of the intersectional inequities affecting Black girls. To watch the Summit via live streaming, click here.