Black Girl Freedom Week Highlights Hot-Button Issues

Black Girl Freedom Week is back for its fourth year, hosting successful Black women leaders to tackle topics such as reproductive freedoms, affirmative action, and pay equity.

Black Girl Freedom Week (BGFW) is in its fourth year of spreading awareness on topics pertinent to the lives of Black girls while continuing its overall mission to mobilize the financial support needed to protect their futures. As the 2024 election season heats up, BGFW is hosting a weeklong series from Feb. 12-18, complete with programming geared toward hot-button issues such as affirmative action, voting, and reproductive rights.

Spearheaded by The #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign and Grantmakers for Girls of Color (G4GC), the growing Black Girl Freedom Fund is bringing this annual initiative to the community as it inches closer to its goal of a $1 billion investment in the gender-expansive demographic by 2030. The president and CEO of G4CC, Dr. Monique Couvson, who will kick off the festivities, released a statement on its ongoing values to uplift and incorporate Black girls in “advancing democracy and justice.”

“Families, communities, institutions, and entire systems transform when we fund the health, joy, and freedom of Black girls,” shared Dr. Couvson in a statement.

“Black GirlFreedom Week is a time for celebration and action. Black girls are core to upholding, defending, and advancing democracy and justice. More than ever, now is the time for making significant investments in their capacity to engage directly with our institutions and to build new ways of leading and innovating. This is how ground breaks to expand opportunity, how new modalities for healing and wellbeing are discovered, and how power shifts in its most transformative way to improve conditions for everyone. Join us.”

Its theme of “Co-Creating a Future of Justice and Democracy” will be demonstrated throughout its diverse programming, including conversations on pay equity with co-speaker Nicole Monson, who is SVP of equity and engagement at Estée Lauder. Additional speakers include Jessica Norwood, CEO and founder of RUNWAY, connecting with attendees on envisioning an economy that helps Black girls thrive; and activist Loretta Ross, leading a discussion on the fight for reproductive freedom.

The transformative week is happening in February to not only honor Black History Month but also the birthdays of the renowned Toni Morrison and Audre Lorde. With this collaborative effort, Black Girl Freedom Week is building upon its legacy and its quest to gain vital funding, resources, and support for its multigenerational cohort within the decade.