INNOCENCE INITIATIVE

  • November 24, 2020
  • 7:28 pm

Adultification bias has unconsciously influenced and impacted the lives-experiences of black girls. MEASURE created the necessary means to defeat adultification bias amongst black girls by developing The Travis County Girl Squad.

The program desires to serve and empower black girls ages 13-17 to triumph against adversity, delivering back their power narrative; We have dedicated expert clinical partners and black mentors that intend to educate, empower and serve each black girl. Additionally, supplementing the Innocence Initiative Program with confident and relevant data to defeat adultification bias.

6 WAYS TO PROTECT BLACK GIRLS NOW

Black girls are seen as less innocent as early as age 5.

MEASURE leveraged its Community Survey Design Tool, gathering lived-experience data to evaluate maternal healthcare and support systems in Central Texas.

Source: Girlhood Interrupted: The erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood. Rebecca Epstein Jamilia J Blake Thalia Gonzalez Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality.

ADULTIFICATION BIAS

Adultification bias is defined as a “social or cultural stereotype that is based on how adults perceive children in the absence of knowledge of children’s behavior and verbalization.” When society embraces harmful stereotypes for people of the global majority (replaces people of color) — black women are promiscuous”; black people are violent and criminal” — these stereotypes are also applied to children.

IN THE CLASSROOM

Black girls are 6 times more likely to receive out of school suspensions than their White counterparts. As early as age 5, Black girls are viewed by adults as more knowledgeable about sex and adult topics, less in need of nurture and support, and significantly older than white girls of the same age. Source: Center for American Progress, 2013.

IN THE STATE

There are 35,510 Black girls between the ages of kindergarten through 12th grade in our Central Texas project area according to the 2010 Census. Females of color will comprise approximately 53% of the U.S. population by the year 2050.

SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE

3X

Black girls are three times more likely than white girls to receive an office referral

6X

Black girls are 6 times more likely to receive out of school suspensions than their White counterparts

18%

Between 1996 and 2011, the number of African American female juvenile delinquency cases increased 18 percent white white girls’ share of cases decreased 7%.

Source: Edward W. Morris & Brea L. Perry, Girl Behaving Badly? Race, Gender & Subjective Evaluation in the Discipline of Af. Am. Girls.

#OURGIRLSNEEDUS

The Innocence Initiative is a collaboration that will elevate the data, listen to the real-life stories of Black girls, and address disparities that perpetuate adultification through advocacy, training, and a public awareness campaign.

OUR PLAN TO DISTRUPT ADULTIFICATION BIAS

The Innocence Initiative is a collaboration that will elevate the data, listen to the real-life stories of Black girls, and address disparities that perpetuate adultification through advocacy, training, and a public awareness campaign. In order to eliminate adultification bias and change the narratives dictating how our children are viewed and treated, our community has decided on 6 courses of action.

5 Courses of Action

  1. Public Awareness Campaign

  2. School Policy Change

  3. Defense Attorney Training

  4. Girl Scouts Recruitments

  5. Research Study

POTENTIAL IMPACT

53%

Females of color will comprise approximately 53% of U.S population by the year 2050.

#OURGIRLSNEEDUS

There are 35,510 Black girls between the ages of kindergarten through 12th grade in our Central Texas project area according to the 2010 Census. Females of color will comprise approximately 53% of the U.S. population by the year 2050.

35K

There are 35,510 black between the ages of K-12 grade in our Central Texas project area.

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