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T-Shirt Design Partnership with RAYGUN by Hayley Taylor-Schlitz
At age 17, Haley Taylor-Schlitz, Young Scholar and second year law student was a delegate to the Democratic Party National Convention and was also active in Senator Harris’ campaign for President. When Senator Harris was picked as the nominee for Vice President by Joe Biden Haley was overwhelmed with excitement and joy. To celebrate those feelings she sat down and designed a new T-shirt about Senator Harris, ambitious girls, and making history. Haley is happy to share that her design has been accepted by the amazing team at RAYGUN for production and has decided to have RAYGUN donate all the proceeds from her T-shirt design to the African American Policy Forum!…
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Aniah Francis – Young Research Presenter
Young Scholar, Aniah Francis, has been accepted to present at The 5th Annual Gwen’s Girls and Black Girls Equity Alliance’s 2020 Summit! With the support of YSP Director, Dina Wright Joseph and Research Instructor/Advisor Dr. Venus Evans-Winters, Aniah will be representing YSP as one of the youngest presenters on the roster. Congratulations Aniah! For more information about Gwen’s Girls and the Black Girls Equity Alliance visit www.gwensgirls.org/equity-summit
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Journal Entry by Kasayah Alexis
Kasayah July, 2020 A Shower Thought Rank: Rethinking the term “Street Smart” The following is an excerpt from my personal journal. It started as a thought I had in the shower. I, being the annoying one in the family that takes very long showers, usually have one thought that leads me to a rabbit hole of arguments, questions, supporting evidence, counter arguments, etc.. All of which lead me to some sort of conclusion that sticks with me all day, and sometimes even all week. Many of my best papers, even my college essay, came from a shower thought. I find it therapeutic, no distractions—allowing my thoughts to flow like the…
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YSP Research Teams
AAPF’S MOST WANTED Kasayah Alexis, Haley Taylor-Schiltz, Kimberly McKoy As a Black woman who has grown up in a predominantly white community and school district, we know how it feels to feel out of place. Within the African American community, you can see the hurt, isolation, and a rise in mental illness for those who experienced racial trauma. It is also crucial to acknowledge the negative impacts of one’s homebase (their neighborhood or homelife). Although all families in the neighborhood are affected by this change, we notice that Black girls and women are impacted differently on both dramatic and acute levels. All such factors can cause feelings of isolation. We…
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Poetry by Aniah Francis
The Voice of Freedom I often wonder what my voice sounds like, How does it feel on your ear, Does it touch your soul? “What does my voice sound like to you?” What does it sound like When I expose the depths of who I am? What does it sound like in silence? Silence is deafening It is oppressive It is the final death. Today I’m I met a unicorn Today I met a unicorn And we had a conversation about Life. She took me on a journey. And told me the struggles she had faced As life beat her down To the…
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Journal: A Lesson For Young Black Girls by Haley Taylor-Schlitz
Calling Kamala Harris ‘too ambitious’ is a lesson for young Black girls OPINION: As a teen Biden delegate for the DNC, Haley Taylor Schlitz says she rejects recent criticisms lodged against the potential VP nominee Op-Ed in The Griot https://thegrio.com/2020/08/03/kamala-harris-too-ambitious-biden/ By Haley Taylor Schlitz One of my favorite quotes is “Well-behaved women seldom make history” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. I can remember as a little girl my mother sharing this quote with me and telling me that as I moved through life, I would face barriers and challenges because of my ethnicity and gender. My mother uses this quote to remind me that when I reach those barriers that it’s OK…
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Journal Entry by Kimberly McKoy
Kimberly July 23, 2020 After reading the Blacks Girls Matter Report, I was able to look at all of the experiences that Black girls go through during their educational experiences. The article discusses the issues of the discipline of Black girls in the school system. The counselors in the school system would treat their students based on stereotypes on black girls as being “ghetto” and “rowdy”. After reading that portion of the text, it allowed me to reflect on my own experiences of being in a predominantly white public school. I experience counselors doubting my success and stunting my educational growth. When I was in kindergarten, my school told my…
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Journal Entry by Eryn McCallum
Eryn Entries from my personal journal with edits for clarification/context and some omissions for privacy July 23, 2020 Writing Activity with Dr. V <3 What is your current writing ritual? I write daily out of a now 2-month-old habit. Usually, I prefer to wait until I’ve learned something new to write. Other times, I just write my feelings/thoughts and don’t force myself to write more or less than what naturally comes out. I also make sure to date all my pages so I’ll have some context if I ever reread my entries. What is my healing ritual? Allow self to feel my feelings and sit with my emotions Write…