Banned: An exploration of Black girlhood, queerness, and educational stagnation Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

The gutting of K-12 education in the US has made books integral to the development of children’s concepts of gender, race, and sexuality. Libraries, especially those in schools, enable children to see themselves reflected in the world while learning about diverse identities and cultures in an age-appropriate manner. Given the revolutionary impact books have on developing children, access to books has also been targeted. While book banning is not new, the reasons for banning books have become more arbitrary. It is becoming increasingly challenging for students with marginalized identities to feel represented and seen in the books they read. In intensely regulated spaces, such as schools and libraries, where can a child find solace? In our contemporary moment, we also depend on the insight and strength of these students to advocate for their own access. Banned is a feature-length dramatic screenplay that depicts one Black girl’s experience as she uncovers aspects of herself through literature, ultimately demanding the same for others in her school district. While stories of these Black queer girls exist, their stories, both narrative and biographical, are a severe minority, preventing these Black girls and young women from seeing themselves in the media. I hope that this narrative inspires more success stories of youth coming together to incite change in their localities. 

Banned is accompanied by a support paper detailing research on the state of education for Black American children, the queer youth of color experience, library and bookstore access, Black fatherhood, representations of Black women in film, and the queer coming-of-age genre. It also features a section documenting the screenwriting process, including the following written materials: world, character biographies, and a beat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Literature Review 3

State of Education for Black Children in the US 3

Queer Youth of Color in American Schools 7

Importance of Literary Access, Libraries, and Bookstores 9

Representations vs Reality: Black Fatherhood 12

Representation of Black Women in Film 15

Queer Youth Representation in the Coming-of-Age Genre 17

Screenwriting as a Practice of Promoting Diversity and Representation 20

Book Review 22

The Writing Process 31

Initial Character Biographies 31

World 32

Final Character Biographies 34

Beat Sheet 41

Conclusion 49

References 51

Filmography 56

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Emory College
Department	Film and Media Studies
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	African American Studies Fine Arts
Keyword	books banned screenplay sexuality representation girlhood queer black
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dehanza Rogers, Emory University
Committee Members	Crystal R. Sanders, Emory University David Barba, Emory University Lydia Fort, Emory University

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