“Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools” Book Discussion at the Davenport Public Library Main Branch -- November 17.
Wednesday, November 17, 6:30 p.m.
Davenport Public Library, 321 Main Street, Davenport IA
Lauded by Booklist as “timely and important” and by Kirkus Reviews as “an excellent starting point for much-needed change,” author Monique W. Morris' nonfiction Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools will be the subject of a November 17 discussion at the Davenport Public Library's main branch, with activist and feminist icon Gloria Steinem saying that “Morris tells us exactly how schools are crushing the spirit and talent that this country needs.”
In Pushout, the author of Black Stats and Too Beautiful for Words chronicles the experiences of Black girls across the country whose intricate lives are misunderstood, and who are highly judged by teachers, administrators, and the justice system – degraded by the very institutions in charge with helping them flourish. Deemed “compelling” and “thought-provoking” by Kirkus, Morris' acclaimed nonfiction Pushout exposes a world of confined potential and supports the rising movement to challenge the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures. Described as a book “for everyone who cares about children” by the Washington Post, Morris' work also illuminates critical issues at a moment when Black girls are the fastest growing population in the juvenile justice system. Praised by voices as wide-ranging as Gloria Steinem and Roland Martin, and highlighted for the audiences of Elle and Jet alongside those of EdWeek and The Leonard Lopate Show, Pushout, according to Bookish magazine, is an important literary piece that “will stay with you long after you turn the final page."
Morris is an award-winning author and social-justice scholar with three decades of experience in the areas of education, civil rights, and juvenile and social justice. She is the founder and president of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI), an organization that works to interrupt school-to-confinement pathways for girls, reduce the barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated women, and increase the capacity of organizations working to reduce sexual assault and domestic violence in African American communities. As President of the NAACP Legal Defense Sherrilyn Ifill stated, “Monique Morris is a fearless and brilliant intellectual. Her groundbreaking work illuminates the pernicious challenges at the intersection of race and gender for African American girls in our education and criminal justice systems, and speaks directly and powerfully into the current moment.”
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools will be discussed in the large meeting room of the Davenport Public Library's Main Street branch, a virtual presentation of the 6:30 p.m. event is also available, and participation is free. For more information, call (563)326-7832 and visit DavenportLibrary.com.
