Calling All Black Girls and Gender Expansive Youth: Organize with Us!
By A National Agenda for Black Girls Team
In November 2019, Girls for Gender Equity launched A National Agenda for Black Girls (NABG) to center the experience of Black girls and gender non-conforming youth in national conversations leading up to the 2020 elections.
As evidenced by the record-breaking turnout during the 2020 general election and tremendous grassroots organizing including critical turnout in predominantly Black communities, there is no question that the backbone of progressivism in the United States is Black women.
As President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare to assume their roles next week, we know it will take a sustained, organized effort to ensure their agenda will be informed by Black girls and women from day one. As such, we are now looking to expand our mission and our Steering Committee.
We’re expanding the Steering Committee to include one hundred Black girls and gender-expansive youth of color from across the country whose perspectives and voices will be integral as we continue to push this new administration to prioritize their needs. Click here to apply to join the National Agenda for Black Girls Steering Committee.
Steering Committee members must be between the ages of 16 and 24. Youth between the ages of 20–24 can join without an organization, and youth 16–19 will need organizational sponsorship. Members are compensated for their participation.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through February 2021.
Though much has changed in our world and in our lives since NABG was launched in November 2019, we’ve already accomplished so much:
- We developed collaborative partnerships with Black-led organizations across the country;
- We spoke directly with presidential hopefuls and gained insight into their policy priorities through a Candidate Questionnaire
- We supported and centered 20 youth on our Steering Committee through bi-monthly meetings as well as panels and live events, such as Black Girls Be Voting, where Steering Committee members shared their vision for a presidential administrations;
- We invited both the Trump and Biden campaigns to discuss their agendas with our young people, and created a direct dialogue with then-candidate Biden’s Senior Policy Analyst Seema Sadanandan and Steering Committee member Blessing; and so much more.
As we move forward, we will develop a concrete policy and legislative agenda in alignment with the six issue areas, which will incorporate the candidate questionnaire from the primary season. Steering Committee members will have the opportunity to inform this agenda, as well as hold panels and live events to speak to the issues they are most passionate about.
If you or a Black girl or gender expansive youth that you know is passionate about activism, organizing, and creating a country where they are valued and uplifted, apply today!
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through February 2021. Learn more at www.blackgirls2020.com.
Questions? Contact ddenny@ggenyc.org and blackgirls2020@ggenyc.org.
