Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in school

Alarmingly, African American girls are the fastest-growing population in the criminal justice system and the only group of girls to disproportionately experience criminalization at every education level. The film underscores the challenges Black girls face with insights from multiple experts across the country who have worked extensively in the field of social justice, gender equality and educational equity, giving context to the crisis and providing a roadmap for how our educational system and those who interact with Black girls can provide a positive rather than punitive response to behaviors that are often misunderstood or misrepresented. Pushout focuses on the challenges Black girls face and emphasizing first-person narratives from them. Hearing from girls as young as seven and as old as 19, they describe navigating a society that often marginalizes and dismisses them. At the same time, the documentary lays out how adults and policymakers can address the needs of these young girls and women with positive responses that can short circuit the pervasive over punishment of Black girls. Update: Pushout film inspired legislation called "Ending PUSHOUT Act" sponsored by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.