It's Back! Black Girls SOAR Summit 2021
The Black Girls Soar “Spread Your Wings” Summit to Empower Girls Ages 11-22
Register today at www.BlackGirlsSOAR.com
[COLUMBUS, OH] Black Girls in Columbus have spoken. They want to spread their wings and soar. On November 2, 2021, from 10-4pm, Columbus City Councilmember Priscilla Tyson and the Commission on Black Girls (CoBG) will host the second annual Black Girls SOAR Virtual Summit. The summit seeks to help Black Girls soar by providing tools to support mental health and wellness, especially as girls continue to cope with navigating life during the pandemic.
"COVID-19 has negatively impacted our families, especially our girls," said Councilmember Priscilla Tyson. "We want to provide a day of unity growth and empowerment for Black girls."
The free Black Girls SOAR Virtual "Spread Your Wings" Summit is an opportunity to provide a "safe space" and digital convening of African-American girls, ages 11-22 years, to learn, reflect and empower themselves and others.
Register online at www.BlackGirlsSOAR.com.
The summit will offer best practices in leadership, critical thinking, personal development, self-care, self-love, health and wellness. The summit will also feature national, regional and local thought leaders and speakers across a variety of general sessions and specialized workshops. National guests featured at the summit are: Marsai Martin – American Actress and Producer, Ke Ke Palmer – American Actress, Lovie Simone – American Actress, Gia Peppers – Entertainment Journalist, and JaBria McCullum – TikTok personality. Local speakers include: The “Amazing” Tei Street – National Motivational Speaker, Cynthia Amoah – Poet, Educator & Mentor, Eryn Hathaway, Founder of Eryn PiNK & Youth Advocate, Courtney Carrol – Mental Health Advocate, Tash Lomo – Holistic Health Practitioner, and Alissa Henry – Journalist.
Additionally, the Commission on Black Girls will host the Black Girls Soar 2021 Awards and Virtual Business Pitch Competition to highlight and celebrate Black girls. Nominations for these events are being accepted until November 5. The dates of the events are TBA.
- Black Girls SOAR 2021 – This event is a crowning salute to the exemplary Black girls in Central Ohio who've got NOW and NEXT and are using their talents and voices to positively affect change. The event highlights Black girls' achievement and excellence in the areas of academics, athletics, creativity, performing/visual arts, entrepreneurship, perseverance, social justice, service and volunteerism and STEM innovation. Nominations can be submitted HERE.
- Virtual Pitch Competition – Women of color are the fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs. The goal of this event is to proactively equip Black girls with the tools to succeed in business. The competition offers mentorship and financial resources to winners. An esteemed panel of business leaders will serve as judges. Nominations can be submitted HERE.
"We took this journey to address the racial inequities experienced by Black women," said Tyson. "To change the quality of life of Black women, it is necessary to start in the early stages of development to create opportunities to improve their futures. Further, as we are implementing the Commission’s report, it is necessary to have efforts such as Black Girls Soar in order to showcase the accomplishments and promise of Black girls in our community."
In 2020, the CoBG issued a quality of life report for Black Girls in Central Ohio that included three strategies and 18 recommendations. Many of the recommendations address: education, mentoring and leadership, healthcare, safety, racism and bias training, health and well-being, economics, issues experienced by LGBTQ+ youth and families, and kids in the child welfare system.
For more information about the CoBG and to view the report, visit https://www.columbus.gov/council/tyson/Commission-on-Black-Girls/.
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