Lessons in Transgression: #BlackGirlsMatter and the Feminist Classroom

This coauthored article examines the ways in which teaching Black feminism in both high school and undergraduate contexts can inspire Black feminist activism in young Black women and girls. Using the work of bell hooks as a foundation for designing and implementing feminist pedagogies and practices, the authors trace the trajectory of two young women of color in their classrooms who, as a result of reading hooks, employ a range of literacies—including blogging, public speaking, and campus activism—to participate in movement building within intersectional feminism in general, and #BlackLivesMatter and #SayHerName in particular. The article ultimately demonstrates the importance of women of color feminisms both in and outside of the classroom, as content and as practice, to promote critical self-awareness and burgeoning political consciousness. The transformative impact of intersectional feminist pedagogies on girls and women of color, with an emphasis on Black feminism, is at the heart of this essay—as are practical approaches to the work of bell hooks’s texts for contemporary students.