Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools

An indictment of the criminalization and miseducation of African American girls that has led to their alarming high school dropout rate and entry into the juvenile justice system. Schools throughout the country have become a key entry point into the juvenile justice system, with Black girls being the fastest growing population in this system. Their story is told through the eyes of the girls themselves, from elementary to post-high school. It explores the many reasons for this increase in the criminalization of Black girls - from paternalistic juvenile courts who do not understand the unique challenges they face to a lack of community-based, culturally competent and gender sensitive responses to the way girls of color are perceived by mainstream society. This criminalization of Black girls disrupts one of the most important protective factors in a girl's life - education. (Pan African Film Festival)