At a time when the voices, rights, and lived experiences of women and girls—especially Black women and girls—are increasingly being challenged, erased, and overlooked, creating spaces where Black teen girls can speak fully and freely is not optional. It is necessary.

The Black Girl Brilliance Celebration & Fundraiser is an opportunity to invest in one of the only organizations in Mid-Michigan dedicated to transforming the lives of teen girls through identity development, confidence, leadership, and self-advocacy. This work empowers girls to understand their value, own their voice, and move through the world with clarity, courage, and purpose.

This year, supporting this mission are Dr. LeConte Dill, Associate Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor of the Department of African American and African Studies at Michigan State University as our gracious host, Jamara Randell of Market Manager, Mid-Michigan and Culture of Finances Manager at MSU Federal Credit Union and the incomparable, Dr. Renee Branch Canady, PhD, MPA, Chief Executive Officer of Michigan Public Health Institute.

This year, the celebration will also spotlight the release of a magazine produced entirely by teen girls. Every page reflects their authentic expression—their literary work, creative direction, photography, storytelling, and lived experiences curated and owned by them. Unfiltered. Uninterrupted. Unapologetic.

The magazine is more than a publication. It is a declaration that Black girls deserve to be seen through their own lens, not defined by stereotypes, systems, or narratives created for them. It preserves their truth, creativity, joy, vulnerability, brilliance, and power in their own words.

When girls are given the tools and space to tell their stories, they begin to see themselves differently. They develop confidence. They strengthen their sense of identity. They learn their experiences matter and that their voices carry influence. That transformation impacts how they advocate for themselves in school, relationships, leadership, and every space they enter.

The Black Girl Brilliance Celebration & Fundraiser invites the community to stand with and invest in that vision. Supporting this work means protecting spaces where Black girls are not silenced, diminished, or erased—but fully affirmed, empowered, and celebrated for exactly who they are.