November, 2013 | The Worth Campaign, Inc. November, 2013 | The Worth Campaign, Inc.

Black Hair Battles: Little Girl Defends Her Hair Against Christian School

hair-expulsion-worth-campaignBlack women’s hair just keeps making news recently. Vanessa VanDyke, a young black girl in Orlando, Florida, was told by her school that she would be expelled if she didn’t change her “distracting” hairstyle. The only problem here is she wears her hair the way it grows from her scalp. She doesn’t try to make it distracting at all.

So, in essence, the school is requesting that she cut, chemically treat, or otherwise manipulate her hair with harmful products to make other students more comfortable. This seems both damaging to her self-worth and marginalizing at the same time. [Read more…]

Univ. of Alabama Jewish Sorority Elects First Black President

Patterson-university-alabama-water-cooler-convosRace relations in this country have become increasingly hot-button in recent years. And, our issues discussing and addressing race have, in some cases, left us behind the goalpost for racial equality. Fraternities and sororities are not insulated from these problems. On the bright side, one historically Jewish sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, at the University of Alabama recently overcame a racial barrier electing the first black woman as president of their organization. Hannah Patterson, 22-year-old engineering major, is definitely shining. [Read more…]

Fresno State Debaters Are First Black Women to Win Big

debate-black-women-worth-campaignTwo awesome young women at Fresno State University (California) made history in October winning the Henry Clay Invitational Debates in 1st and 2nd place. The young women, Nadia Lewis and Jamila Ahmed, are definitely shining. [Read more…]

Black GIrls Rock!, #WhiteGirlsRock, and Understanding Self-Worth

queen_latifah_617_409-humormillmagOn Sunday, BET aired the annual Black Girls Rock! awards show. Each year, Beverly Bond takes her nonprofit to the stage to give shine to black girls who rock. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King, the entire show is dedicated to honoring black women in entertainment and in local communities who are setting good examples for young black girls. The show has never been meant to produce negative social commentary or to denigrate any other ethnic group. Instead, its only purpose is to uplift. Sadly, uneducated haters on Twitter felt threatened by the popularity of the show and created the hashtag #WhiteGirlsRock in response. The ignorance which ensued is a great lesson in understanding one’s own self-worth independent of others who might want to bring you down no matter the cost. [Read more…]