The award will help the non-profit organization to focus on data-driven media training solutions to increase opportunities for Black girls in Chicago.
Nationwide — La’Keisha Gray-Sewell, Founder and Executive Director of the Chicago-based Girls Like Me Project Inc (GLMPI), has received a $50,000 financial award from the Black Girl Freedom Fund (BGFF) to support its work in training Black girls on how to proliferate their worldview through media so they can help others make meaning of the world through their perspective and unique experiences. GLMPI was one of 68 organizations to be awarded grants totaling $4 million.
“This award is indicative of what is possible with intentional investment in Black girls. In a world fixated on the erasure of Black girl essence, I believe it is our duty as their matriarchs and caretakers to provide Black girls with tools that amplify their voices, affirm their Black girlhood, and fortify their civic leadership. Our programming and methodology train girls to use media as an advocacy and community-building tool. Through GLMPI Talks, girls will build a platform that harnesses their power through representation, amplification, social-emotional wellness, and career exploration in media. This is the passport to their true liberation and global citizenship,” says Gray-Sewell.
The primary goal is to provide catalytic training in media literacy and digital storytelling for Black girls. The award will fund GLMPI Talks: Becoming Her, an all-girls talk show curated by Girls Like Me Project, Inc. Its objective is to train Black girls to deliver their worldview through transmedia platforms such as video, podcasts, and live social media platforms.
Moreover, the BGFF award will support the vision of GLMPI Talks: Becoming Her to create a community of emerging Black girl voices who bond and learn beside one another through their shared passions for the media industry. Participants will gain experience, build their digital portfolio, and eventually land an internship and or job in the field. The peer-powered talk show produced by GLMPI girls is created to amplify their experiences, share resources, and create a platform for sisterhood. The shows are slated to begin later this year.
For more information about GLMPI, visit their official website at GirlsLikeMeProject.org
Connect with the brand on social media:
Facebook: @GirlsLikeMeProject
Twitter: @GirlsLikeMeProj
Instagram: @GirlsLikeMeProject
About Girls Like Me Project Inc (GLMPI)
The mission of GLMPI is to help African-American girls ages 11-17 critically examine social, cultural, and political ideologies in media so that they will be able to overcome stigmas and negative stereotypes. In addition, we equip them with the tools and strategies to become influential, independent digital storytellers who transform their communities and foster global sisterhood. The program intends to serve as a resourceful career-driven program in the Chicagoland area, by creating a safe space for young women of color between the ages of 12-18 who aspire to pursue careers in the media industry.
About Black Girl Freedom Fund (BGFF)
Black Girl Freedom Fund (BGFF), an initiative of Grantmakers for Girls of Color (G4GC), announced its second round of grantmaking since the fund’s launch in September 2020! With the guidance of our Grantmaking Council, made up of six Black girls ages 14-22, G4GC awarded grants totaling over $4 million to 68 organizations centering on the leadership and organizing capacity of Black girls, femmes, and gender-expansive youth in 23 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.
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