Q&A With Aria S. Halliday

For Black History Month we’ve been highlighting some of our African American Studies books and amplifying Black voices here on the blog. Next up in our series is a Q&A with Aria S. Halliday, associate professor of gender and women’s studies and African American and Africana studies at the University of Kentucky and author of Black Girls and How We Fail Them which is publishing February 18th but available for pre-order now.

---

What led you to write Black Girls and How We Fail Them? 

Black Girls and How We Fail Them is the book I’ve always wanted to write. In many ways, it marks the evolution of my Black feminist sensibilities from girlhood to the present. In other ways, I was interested in reading a book that named the specific harm Black girls experience from within the Black community. Black girls, across generations, have been treated as disposable pawns for others’ advantage. And, I wanted to write a book that named it explicitly.

What was your goal for the book when you started, and did it change over time?

My goal was initially a group of essays, much like Brittney Cooper’s Eloquent Rage or Sesali Bowen’s Bad Fat Black Girl that focused attention on various popular representations of Black girls. After writing three chapters, however, my editor Dawn Durante helped me realize that each chapter was much more connected that I initially imagined.

What did you find surprising while researching/writing this book?

I was surprised by how emotional I felt researching and writing this book. Watching films and reading commentary over and over that showed how Black girls were harmed yet did not name it was very difficult for me. Some pages were definitely “rage writing” for me—just anger on the page.

Do you have any favorite quotes or passages from the book?

That’s hard! My favorite passage right now is the opening poem. I’ve never shared my poetry publicly so it is pretty special that my own work could open this book.

What are some of the key takeaways or insights that readers can expect to gain from reading your book?

One key takeaway is that Black girls do not have to be collateral damage in others’ evolution as people. We can support Black girls in all their intelligent, resistant, and sometimes fiery glory. But that requires that we change!

What piece of advice would you offer authors that are currently writing their first book?

The reader does not know what you intend or what you mean. Explain everything, especially the quotes you use from others!

What are you working on next/now?

Mainly two books: an edited volume on representations of Black women and girls in 90s popular culture and a solo book on Black women solo travelers in the 20^th century.