This Saturday at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York, approximately 100 high school girls from the New York area gathered for a day-long event focused on the empowerment of women. The students experienced an inspiring day of panel discussions, workshops and live entertainment, centered around self-awareness. The program was hosted by The Gye Nyame Empowerment Project, a New York-based non-profit organization.
ESSENCE.com spoke to some of the blooming teens about their experience at the summit and how they felt about interacting with some of their community’s brightest minds.
This is a “Forgiveness Dress” that will eventually be designed by Born as a Raggamuffin. All of the young women were asked to write a person’s name, or an experience they will work on forgiving within the next 12 months. They were then asked to pin their fabric to the mannequin to see how powerful their commitment to forgiving can be. Every year the organization will continue to add to this dress until there is enough fabric for designers Zebi Williams and Wendy Del Orbe to make a dress.
Nyree Murray 16, Malikah Copeland, and Jenay Copeland are all smiles while attending the Reconstruction Period.
Kevia Croft, 14, from Black Girls Rock listening to the panel.
A teen is focused while attending a workshop.
Black Girls Rock! student DJ’s for the day Gyasi Kirtley, 16, and Kevia Croft, 15, selecting the next song to entertain the crowd with.
Lumumba Bandele from the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement sharing with the young women during the Healthy Relationships Workshop.
The girls listen closely at a workshop.
Miracle Graham, 16, from Black Girls Rock! sharing her thoughts with her peers.
Some of the panelists for the Representation of Pan-African Women in the Media panel. Beverly Bond, Malik Yoba and Michaela angela Davis.
Writer Michaela angela Davis and actor Malik Yoba are happy to give their support at the summit.
