Write On, Black Girl!
June Jordan Quote
It would be something fine if we could learn how to bless the lives of children. They are the people of new life. Children are the only people nobody can blame. They are the only ones always willing to make a start; they have no choice. Children are the ways the world begin again and again. … But in general, our children have no voice–that we will listen to.
The Voice of the Children, June Jordan (1970)
About
Write On, Black Girl! (WOBG) is a student writer magazine that will hopefully be the start of a much larger project. This project began with the support and guidance of the Connecticut Writing Project (CWP), one of the oldest sites of the National Writing Project (NWP). Both projects aim to “improve student achievement by improving the teaching of writing and improving learning in the nation’s schools” (cwp.uconn.edu). One of the projects that CWP is most proud of is the Connecticut Student Writers Magazine, which honors excellence in student writing from kindergarten to twelfth grade. It annually publishes the top ranking original works of prose, poetry, and art created by students across the state of Connecticut.
Write On, Black Girl! similarly honors excellence in student writing but focuses on making space for the Black cis- and transgender girls and gender nonconforming students in kindergarten to undergraduate college to challenge stereotypes and marginalization. As a Black Girlhood scholar, I recognize the value in curating writing and art created by Black cis- and transgender girls and gender nonconforming students as an act of defiance against racial intolerance.
We hope the magazine will:
- Provide validation of authorship for Black cis- and transgender girls and gender nonconforming students in kindergarten to undergraduate college;
- Provide validation of Black cis- and transgender girls and gender nonconforming students’ identity as they stand against intersecting oppressions;
- Provide an opportunity for students to present their work to a live audience;
- Provide a space to engage and commune with Black cis- and transgender girls and gender nonconforming voices;
- Encourage Black cis- and transgender girls and gender nonconforming folx to recognize the power and importance of writing and art in their lives.
Words of Encouragement . . .
You deserve to be the center.
You deserve to see yourself whole – the inside, the outside, the sp
iritual.
You deserve to see the world, to go on adventures, to solve mysteries.
You deserve to revel in the dark, to embrace Black culture, language, and story.
You deserve to write the stories you didn’t know existed.
You deserve to write.
You deserve.
Dr. Stephanie R. Toliver (Spring 2022)
Dear Black Girl, . . .
Black Girl, you are light! . . .
Black Girl, let your light shine! . . .
Black Girl, your light is a gift. . . .
Black Girl, the light of love is always in you. . . .
Black Girl, we love you. . . .
Black Girl, you are powerful. . . .
Black Girl, always (re)member. . . .
Black Girl, be encouraged! . . .
Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz & Dr. Autumn Adia Griffin (Spring 2023)