Rashelle Litchmore

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Gender-Based Violence in Schools and the Intersectional Experiences of Black-Canadian Girls

This Webinar was presented and recorded on March 15, 2023.

A recent CBC survey revealed that one in four girls in Canadian schools experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact. This research also found that 45% of students did not report experiences of violence of any kind, and when instances of violence were disclosed, students reported unsatisfactory responses from their schools. Statistics on gender-based violence in schools, disaggregated by race and gender, are not yet available in Canada. However, findings from the United States suggest that African-American girls are at increased risk of experiencing various types of sexual harassment and gender-based violence, and are more susceptible to negative psychological and social outcomes as a result. This Webinar discusses the unique experiences of female identified adolescents of African descent in Canada, and their experiences with gender-based violence in schools. Specific attention is given to cultures of violence, how they manifest, and the need to attend to prevention, as opposed to the current focus on punishment, when addressing the intersectional experiences of Black girls.

Webinar Recording

 

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Learning Objectives

After this Webinar, participants will have learned about:

  • Understand current statistics on gender-based violence in Canadian schools
  • Interrogate intersecting histories of racism and sexism in Canada and how these inform educational spaces to promote cultures of violence
  • Consider strengths-based and trauma-informed approaches to working with Black-Canadian girls impacted by gender-based violence

Speaker

rashelle-ln-photo.pngRashelle Litchmore
Assistant Professor, Connecticut College

Rashelle Litchmore, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Human Development at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Her research spans the areas of critical psychology, Black and racialized adolescent identities, education policy, and systems transformation. Her research is conducted through critical theoretical, and analytical frameworks including post-structuralism, critical discursive social psychology, Black Feminist Theory and Critical Race Theory. Her previous work in Canada relied on ethnographic methods to examine the identities of Black Canadian adolescents, and their in-school experiences under the province of Ontario’s inclusive education policies.  She is currently conducting a critical ethnography on the consolidation and racial integration of two neighborhood middle schools into a regional magnet school in the state of Connecticut, and the systemic changes needed to support students of color. She is also partnered with ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities, and the Centre for Diverse Learners in the Halton-Hamilton region of Ontario, to investigate the educational and employment experiences of Black-Canadian youth with learning disabilities. Dr. Litchmore was previously a Senior Policy Advisor with the Anti-Racism Directorate in the Government of Ontario, where she supported policy development for addressing disparities experienced by racialized and Indigenous peoples in the province

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