Black Girls and How We Fail Them - by Aria S Halliday

About the Book

"From hip-hop moguls and political candidates to talk radio and critically acclaimed films, society communicates that Black girls don't matter and their girlhood is not safe. Alarming statistics on physical and sexual abuse, for instance, reveal the harm Black girls face, yet Black girls' representation in media still heavily relies on our seeing their abuse as an important factor in others' development. In this provocative new book, Aria S. Halliday asserts that the growth of diverse representation in media since 2008 has coincided with an increase in the hatred of Black girls. Halliday uses her astute expertise as a scholar of popular culture, feminist theory, and Black girlhood to expose how we have been complicit in the depiction of Black girls as unwanted and disposable while letting Black girls fend for themselves. She indicts the way media mistreats celebrity Black girls like Malia and Sasha Obama as well as fictional Black girls in popular shows and films like A Wrinkle in Time. Our society's inability to see or understand Black girls as girls makes us culpable in their abuse. In Black Girls and How We Fail Them, a revelatory book for political analysts, hip-hop lovers, pop culture junkies, and parents, Halliday provides the critical perspective we need to create a world that supports, affirms, and loves Black girls. Our future depends on it"--

Book Synopsis

From hip-hop moguls and political candidates to talk radio and critically acclaimed films, society communicates that Black girls don't matter and their girlhood is not safe. Alarming statistics on physical and sexual abuse, for instance, reveal the harm Black girls face, yet Black girls' representation in media still heavily relies on our seeing their abuse as an important factor in others' development. In this provocative new book, Aria S. Halliday asserts that the growth of diverse representation in media since 2008 has coincided with an increase in the hatred of Black girls.

Halliday uses her astute expertise as a scholar of popular culture, feminist theory, and Black girlhood to expose how we have been complicit in the depiction of Black girls as unwanted and disposable while letting Black girls fend for themselves. She indicts the way media mistreats celebrity Black girls like Malia and Sasha Obama as well as fictional Black girls in popular shows and films like A Wrinkle in Time. Our society's inability to see or understand Black girls as girls makes us culpable in their abuse. In Black Girls and How We Fail Them, a revelatory book for political analysts, hip-hop lovers, pop culture junkies, and parents, Halliday provides the critical perspective we need to create a world that supports, affirms, and loves Black girls. Our future depends on it.

Review Quotes

"Halliday contends that misogynoir contributes to society's perception of Black girls, both in the real world and in fictional representations. . . . A necessary resource for bringing awareness to the issues facing Black girls and advocating for them."--CHOICE

"A timely and honest love letter to Black girls and an exploration of accountability for those who love and misunderstand them alike. A must-read for those inside and outside popular culture's long reach."--Regina N. Bradley, author of Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South

"Critically, Halliday argues that the increasing racial diversity of media in the last 20 years has coincided with an increase in bias against Black girls. She provides insightful examples of mistreatment and stereotypical tropes....[Halliday's] message is loud and clear. Suggest this book to parents of Black girls as well as anyone who educates, works with, and engages with them."--Library Journal

"Equal parts an instruction manual for identifying, articulating and addressing the harm done to Black girls and a call for readers to engage in honest self-reflection about their role in perpetuating that harm. . . . [Halliday's] solutions are more than vague promises to prioritize Black girls. They are a call for accountability and the establishment of boundaries necessary to protect Black girls."--Ethnic and Racial Studies

"In Black Girls and How We Fail Them, Aria Halliday eloquently and incisively captures the relationship between popular culture and the sociological realities that shape our collective understanding of race and gender in America. Halliday's book is a penetrating examination of how depictions of Black girls and women in music, film, and politics both animate and reflect the way they are treated in society at large. This book is both an invitation and an opportunity. I am so grateful it exists."--Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery across America

"Refreshingly straightforward. Through twelve media examples, Aria Halliday highlights how society's participation in the spread of misogynoir creates conditions that repeatedly shortchange Black girls in every aspect of their lives, offering examples that show the potential for change."--Moya Bailey, author of Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women's Digital Resistance

"This book feels like a conversation that I've been longing to have or listen in on, being held by people who are invested, hosted by a friend. Piercingly insightful. Honest. Mad. Vulnerable. Understanding. May we take heed of Aria Halliday's words and insights."--Crystal Leigh Endsley, author of Quantum Justice: Global Girls Cultivating Disruption through Spoken Word Poetry

About the Author

Aria S. Halliday is associate professor of gender and women's studies and African American and Africana studies at the University of Kentucky.