“I Can’t Even Wear a Simple Dress in Peace”: A Digital Ethnography of Black Adolescent Female Experiences Navigating Gender-Based Violence

Background: This study explored how Black females make meaning of their experiences with threats of sexual and gender-based violence while navigating urban community contexts using the framework of intersectionality. Objectives: Data derived from podcast episodes of audiorecorded focus group and dyad discussions were guided by two central aims: (a) how Black adolescent females describe their daily experiences living in an urban community, and (b) understand Black adolescent female perceptions of other peoples’ perspectives of their realities. Methods: Digital ethnographic methods were used to examine podcast episodes. Findings: Findings were categorized across three themes: attracting unwanted attention; feelings of limited occupational opportunities; and coping strategies related to sexual assault. Conclusion: Overall, Black adolescent females discuss their daily strategies and thought processes as a means of survival within the urban context. Social work implications are discussed.