In The Global History of Black Girlhood, Corinne T. Field and LaKisha Michelle Simmons weave together an intricate anthology that centers Black girls as important historical actors who tell diverse stories about Black girlhood and can articulate themselves and their own experiences within history. In this edited collection, the authors depart from the concept that Black girlhood is a homogenous experience. Instead, they explore the flexibility of Black girlhood and analyze how it manifests differently across gendered, sexual, racial, regional, and global boundaries. This collection exposes the neglected history of Black girls within the archive and speaks to why the study of Black girlhood is crucial in making their stories visible.
By building on the field of Black girlhood studies—which the editors describe as an ethical orientation, a political praxis, and a theoretical framework—Field and Simmons use Black girls’ perspectives to understand how they articulate and see themselves in...