Black Girls Need Love Too: An intersectional analysis of the lived experiences of Black girls in French Immersion Programs

Black girls in the French immersion program are silent scholars. They continue to remain under the radar, significantly under-researched and hidden behind the generalization of Black students without considerations for the intersectionality of race and gender. Using the narratives of four Black girls through semi-structured interviews, this thesis addresses this gap by exploring the lived experiences of four Black girls in Southern Ontario’s French immersion programs. By thematically analyzing their experiences using Black Canadian feminism, raciolinguistics, and intersectionality, we can critically assess their experiences and provide strategies to counter colonial institutions and policies. The findings reveal insights into their identities, sense of belonging, representation, and treatment, and how these themes impact their educational experiences. The experiences of these Black girls highlight several key areas for improvement and offer opportunities to enhance educational experiences for Black girls by informing more equitable policies and practices in the French immersion program.