Intro
Halftitle Page
Title Page
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Glossary
Abbreviations
Introduction
Who's checkin' for Black girls and women?
Theorizing Black girls' and women's anti-Black gendered racism and classism in the English education system
Inside the worlds of Black British women graduates: storytelling and composite characters
Book structure
1 Becoming Dr April-Louise
The Foundations
Navigating at the intersections in different educational institutions
Connections and turning points

Transforming experience, passion and expertise into a profession
2 The Devaluation of Black Girls and Women
Navigating within an anti-Black world: the Windrush scandal and Black Lives Matter
The depictions and positioning of Black women: the 'bottom of the heap in both ways'
It's cool to be a Black girl or woman
unless you actually are one: cultural appropriation, Instagram 'baddie' culture and Blackfishing
'We came from the bottom so we have to work our way up': Black women and social class

Unpacking the journeys and experiences of Black British girls and women within the education system
3 The Educational Steeplechase
The myth of meritocracy and competing in the educational steeplechase
The merging of opposing cultures and the abrupt process of othering
Limiting beliefs, negative stereotyping and ultimately being misunderstood
Internalized pressure and unrealistic expectations
4 Being the Only Black Girl or Woman
The white, English education system
Infiltrating elite, Predominantly white (PW) educational spaces and places

'Outsiders Within': Black Girl/Woman- PW, elite, educational space
The 'advantages' of enduring PW, elite educational spaces and places
5 Being One of Many Black Girls or Women
Predominantly Global Majority (PGM) educational spaces and places
Appreciating and understanding self and cultural diversity
Strength in numbers: connections, solidarity and affirmation
Blacker space, white authority
Limited educational opportunities?
6 Educational 'Success' or Unnecessary Stress?
Achieving educational 'success' and becoming a Black woman graduate

Unnecessary stress: working twice as hard to get half as far
Education as a means to an end and championing alternative options
Redefining educational 'success'
7 Strength, Resilience and Black Women's Education Power
Strategizing to cultivate strength and resilience
Honouring key Black women in educational journeys and experiences
Speaking to our younger selves and future generations of Black girls and women
8 Now Is the Time to Overstand!
It's not you or me, it's the education system, the labour market and society at large