In this case study, I explore how girls of color from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds make sense of their sociopolitical realities and their experience participating in a social justice education course focused on Power, Identity, and Privilege (PIP). Given that course is situated in a community-based educational context specifically for girls of color, I investigate its affordances in shaping how they understand and respond to social injustices that impact their lives. I draw on politicizing socialization (Brown, 2007) and intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991) as theoretical frameworks for understanding how girls of color make sense of power and oppression that shape their experiences. I also utilized concepts focused on women of color feminist pedagogy to make connections between instructors' decision-making and the experiences and perspectives the girls gained from participation in PIP. This study relied on qualitative data collection methods that include reflections shared by girls and young women of color in Critical Conversation Spaces (CCSs) as well as interviews with course instructors. I analyzed these data sources using concept and value coding to generate three significant findings. The first finding suggests that girls of color are acutely aware of the white supremacist and patriarchal ideologies and practices that shaped their girlhood. The second finding reveals that participation in PIP bolstered the girls' critical consciousness and sense of agency. The third finding illustrates that the girls utilized their lived experiences and insights from the course to examine, critique, and pursue social action to mitigate institutional, interpersonal, and internalized oppression within their schools, families, and communities.
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