This week the New York City Council launched the Young Women’s Initiative (YWI) in partnership with my fierce sister, Joanne Smith of Girls for Gender Equity, to identify the gaps in services for young women age 12-24, with a focus on women of color.
The YWI brings together leaders and organizers who work with teens and young adults and advocate for them in all aspects of our society, with the goal of crafting policy recommendations that address racial, gender and other disparities. With a daughter who is 12-years-old, I am happy to see the work being done with with young women at the center of the conversations—as active and consistent participants in discussions and through a multi-platform campaign, #SheWillBe—to hear directly from them.
I shared this campaign with Ariyah and she said that she believe that she can be all that she wants and dreams. In her words: #SheWillBe Successful
As you can see from the letter below from Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito of the New York City Council, parents play a huge role in instilling lessons early on in the life of our children that continue to bloom and grow into adulthood. Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito’s mother instilled her lessons of respect and the duty to fight for her rights. As we all Parent for Liberation–what seeds of freedom are we planting into our children while young?
To learn more about the Young Women’s Initiative and to create your own selfie, visit shewillbe.nyc