'YOU WANT TO BE A GIRL AND NOT MY FRIEND'.

Few researchers have closely examined intersections between race and gender in the social relations of children, and the voices and experiences of African-American girls have been notably absent in the literature on children's peer relations. This article, based on fieldwork with the first-graders in two racially mixed US elementary schools, draws upon Black feminist theory to examine intersections between gender and racialized ethnicity, especially in the experiences of African-American girls. Findings suggest that racial positioning and gender of the African-American girls hold different meanings according to the context. The impact of race and gender as intersecting forces on the girls' peer interactions are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]