Lancaster, PA (BlackNews.com) — For Black Girls celebrates the beauty of Black girls and women as they relaunch this month. Ruby L. Taylor, M.S.W., founder of of the movement and alumna of Howard University, saw a need to empower young women and consulted with world-renowned artist, Shanequa Gay, and executive, Natalie Meade, M.S.W. to relaunch For Black Girls. The decision was made to form a team of qualified, Black women.
The team includes award-winning graphic designer, Jennae Peterson of Hibiscus Creative; Production Executive and Lead Artist, Shanequa Gay; Natalie Meade, President of Development;Â Ayanda Chisholm, Trailer Creative; Vice President of Youth Encourager, Bria Fernandez; and Editor, Ashley Ormon. Together they are developing special initiatives to ensure black women and girls know how beautiful and powerful they are.
The Black body has a history of being treated poorly and inhumanely. For Black women, this includes abuse, over-sexualization, and dehumanization. Taylor expresses her desire to teach lessons on validating young girlsÂ’ and womensÂ’ beauty, instead of accepting lies created around it.
“How they see us is how they treat us,”” Taylor points out.
Taylor encourages girls to remain graceful and beautiful as First Lady Michelle Obama does despite the constant disrespect she receives. The women are urged to use the president’s wife as motivation to celebrate their beauty and power. “We can’t change people’s minds, but we can uplift ourselves. This is what our movement is all about,” she says.
To kick off its relaunch, For Black Girls has been displaying its award-winning documentary, Beautiful Me (watch the trailer at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7WYUvVuygw). In celebration of the documentary and Black girls’ beauty, a Beautiful Me Day: The Augusta Savage Day of Beauty will be held on Sept. 24. The movement highlights the importance of acknowledging black beauty and achievements amid the nation’Â’s political climate and does so through visual arts, documentaries, social media, special events, and blogs.
So far, the leaders believe the mission is working and young girls have already been empowered.Â
““Ms. Ruby Taylor and the tremendous people she introduced me [showed me] my own self-worth and the worth of black girls,”” said Brooklyn Jones. “”As a black female during my last two years of high school, I lacked a lot of self-confidence in terms of success. Who knew it would take an art project and interacting with several different black girls to understand our value? I didn’t, but I am 100 percent grateful to be a part of the family that this project has created. We are all beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated black women.””
For more information about For Black Girls and Ruby Taylor, visit www.ForBlackGirls.org, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
