The Black Girl 44 scholarship is hoping to bridge the gap between the breadth of opportunity in Washington D.C., and the wealth of talented Black collegiate women around the country.
Each summer the nation’s capital turns into intern city as current leader across industries begin to train the minds of tomorrow. However, interning in Washington D.C. could easily cost you an arm and a leg.
Many young women looking to score an internship have to take out loans or work multiple jobs on top of an internship in order to take advantage of these kind of career development opportunities. For students coming from historically underrepresented backgrounds low-paying or unpaid internships may be out of the question.
Founded by former White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer, The Black Girl 44 scholarship is combating those barriers by making Washington D.C. internships more accessible to Black girls in college.
Students interested in the scholarship must earn an internship that relates to policy, community engagement, community service, advocacy, global relations or politics for Fall 2019, according to the website.
Black Girl 44 will award multiple $1,500 scholarships to Black women college students who have earned an internship in Washington D.C. for Fall 2019, according to a statement from the organization.
“We want to give back the same hope and opportunity that was afforded to us,” Dyer said in a statement. “These women are actively leading the charge for change. It’s important that we support them in their efforts work” she added.
The scholarship is supported by 55 African American women who were in the White House during the Obama Administration.
“Building on the same hope and opportunity that was given to them, the organizers are not just lifting up but pushing forward Black/African-American women that are actively leading the charge for change,” The Black Girl 44 website explained.
The application will be open from June 19 until July 31, 2019. Although the scholarship’s collaborators use she/her/hers pronouns, applicants who use they/them/theirs are still encouraged to apply, according to the website.
For details on how to apply click here.
