{12 Days of Black Woman CEO Wisdom} Founder, Quanisha Green- Black Girls Need YOU!

Did you Black girls are in peril?  “Our girls struggle and suffer because we don’t share our stories. By sharing our stories, we send a message to young girls which says you don’t have to make those mistakes because I already did,” Shaleah affirmed during a recent interview with me.

According to the African American Policy Forum:

1. Black girls have higher incidences of emotional difficulties than others girls-“67% of Black girls indicated that they felt sad or hopeless for two or more weeks straight, compared to 31% of white girls and 40% of Latina girls.”
2. Despite the decline in teenage pregnancy, the pregnancy rate of Black teens is still twice that of White teens.
3. Philanthropic efforts, which often support social service for marginalized groups, dramatically differs between Black boys and girls. “Over the last decade, over 100 million dollars has been invested in achievement, dropout prevention, and mentoring initiatives exclusively targeting Black and brown boys. During this same period, less than 1 million dollars in funding targeted Black and brown girls.”
4. In 2010, the homicide rate among Black girls and women ages 10-24 was higher than for any other group of females, and higher than white and Asian men as well.
5. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Black girls’ suspension and expulsion rates were higher than any other group of girls and higher than white and Hispanic boys.
6. Many studies have documented the long-term consequences to high-school dropouts, which are greater for Black girls than for Black boys. For example, a Black woman who has dropped out will make about $7,000 less a year than a high school graduate and will be more likely to need welfare support than both female and male peers. The children of women who drop out are more likely to drop out than children of male dropouts.

For Shaleah and the hundreds of Black women supporting this movement, Black girls’ suffering ends with telling our truths. Often, our tales are limited to accolades and triumphs, but Black girls need inspiration rooted in our shame.

They need us to be vulnerable and to uncover those experiences we keep close from judgment. “Our accomplishments are great, however, it distances girls from relating to us. How can you reach girls if they feel you’ve never been through anything?” Shaleah insisted.

Vulnerability requires fearlessness. In her book Daring Greatly, Dr. Brené Brown asserts, “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”  (In 2014, Dr. Brené Brown donated 21 books of Daring Greatly to UNIQUELY YOU SUMMIT’s ‘I AM’ Leadership Series, which seeks to promote leadership and activism among young women.)

Vulnerability is shedding your mask. Letting the world see you. Will you be fearless and speak for our Black girls?

Here’s ONE way you can align with what the UNIQUELY YOU SUMMIT instills in all its girls-a Beautiful, Brilliant & Brave state of mind: Sponsor a Girl by ordering the Black Woman CEO Wisdom Guide

Every year hundreds of girls write essays explaining why attending the summit is important to them. Imagine if you had such an event in your youth. Will you forgo $7.00 to prevent one girl from being another statistic? 

You can keep all the wisdom from the 12 days for your motivational library plus receive 10 additional wisdom quotes when you order the BLACK WOMAN CEO WISDOM GUIDE.

Your order supports a Black girl’s leadership development as all proceeds go to the UNIQUELY YOU SUMMIT, Inc.: A 501(c)(3) helping Black girls uniquely define, discover and become who they are.