ABSTRACT
African American literary societies, such as those founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the early 1800s, were protected spaces that provided Black Americans access to resources such as reading rooms and libraries to enrich their visions of history and identity and to develop literacy skills. In the spirit of African American literary societies, this chapter addresses the importance of creating contemporary literacy spaces for Black girls today. We do this through our analysis of preambles, a tradition within Black women’s literacy collectives. For almost a decade, participants in Dr. Muhammad’s Black Girls WRITE! program have collectively enacted the practices of a Black Girls’ Literacies Framework by writing manifestos of solidarity, hope, social and political awareness, and resistance. Our analysis of preambles provides evidence of the critical thinking, reading, and writing that can occur when educators consider cultivating literacy instruction that is responsive to the expressions of Black girls and other youth.
