{"id":13212,"date":"2026-07-22T04:24:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13212"},"modified":"2026-07-22T04:24:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:24:47","slug":"micro-grants-are-fueling-black-girl-leadership-across-the-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13212","title":{"rendered":"Micro-Grants Are Fueling Black Girl Leadership Across The South"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"0\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"377\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?w=660&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Two portraits: a woman with a red headwrap and large pink earrings smiling, and a woman wearing a denim jacket with &quot;Joy &amp; Justice&quot; logo.\" class=\"wp-image-1681476\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.750735690305467;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?strip=all&amp;quality=80 1680w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=153%2C87&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=378%2C216&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=768%2C439&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=660%2C377&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 660w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=1536%2C878&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1536w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=180%2C103&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=280%2C160&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 280w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=560%2C320&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 560w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=840%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 840w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=140%2C80&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 140w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=70%2C40&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 70w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=350%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 350w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=700%2C400&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 700w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=175%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 175w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=88%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 88w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=720%2C411&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 720w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=900%2C514&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=1200%2C686&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1200w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=450%2C257&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=600%2C343&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=250%2C143&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=257%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 257w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=245%2C140&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=151%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 151w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=144%2C82&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/image-collage-24.jpg?resize=50%2C29&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Courtesy of Chance\u00e9 Lundy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growing up in Selma, <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/tag\/alabama\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"590364792\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alabama<\/a>, I was once a girl who benefited from organizations specifically designed for young Black girls. \u00a0 That truth lives in every decision I make as the Executive Director of Southern Black Girls and Women\u2019s Consortium, an organization reshaping what philanthropy looks like when it centers the people it claims to serve.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when someone asks me what our strategy is\u2014what framework we use to cultivate the next generation of leaders\u2014my answer is simple and unapologetic: joy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not joy as sentimentality. Not joy as a slogan. Joy as a measurable, transformative investment in the mental health, resilience, and leadership of Black girls and femme-identifying youth across the South.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1661062\/coach-dawn-thornton-alabama-a-m-style\/\">MadameICON \u2014 Coach Dawn \u2018The Diva\u2019 Thornton Leads Alabama A&amp;M To History In Heels \u2014 Her 9 Most Baller Looks<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"1\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"369\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?w=660&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Two young Black women smiling and posing in front of a pink background with the text &quot;Joy &amp; Justice Tour&quot; and &quot;Southernblackgirls.org&quot;.\" class=\"wp-image-1681473\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7886936269320348;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?strip=all&amp;quality=80 1033w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=153%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=378%2C212&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=768%2C430&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=660%2C369&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 660w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=180%2C101&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=70%2C40&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 70w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=179%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 179w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=357%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 357w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=89%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 89w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=720%2C403&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 720w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=900%2C504&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=450%2C252&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=600%2C336&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=250%2C140&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=263%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 263w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=245%2C137&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=154%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 154w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=144%2C81&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540236821.jpg?resize=50%2C28&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Courtesy of Chance\u00e9 Lundy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2017, Southern Black Girls and Women\u2019s Consortium has been on a mission to channel resources to underfunded organizations empowering communities across 13 Southern states, from West Virginia to Texas. Our work was born from a staggering reality: Black women and girls receive less than one percent of the South\u2019s $4.8 billion in philanthropic investments. That is a deliberate choice but we are committed to reversing it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To date, we have awarded over $11.4 million to more than 250 Black women-led organizations. But one of our most celebrated initiatives is also one of our most personal: the #BlackGirlJoyChallenge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Launched in 2020 as a response to the isolation and grief of the COVID-19 pandemic, the #BlackGirlJoyChallenge is a micro-grant program that awards $550 to Black girls and femme-identifying youth, ages 13 to 24 who have innovative, joy-centered ideas for their communities. We have now reached more than 1,000 recipients and invested over $8600,000 in their visions. And what they have built with those resources demonstrates that young Black girls are ready to lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Past recipients have launched programs to combat period poverty in several states across the South, formed all-Black girls\u2019 robotics teams, organized park restoration efforts, and hosted community drive-in movies when the world felt like it was falling apart. One recipient, at just 12 years old, founded a beauty and fashion company after being told by another child that Black people are \u201cmean and dirty.\u201d She used her grant to hire a youth graphic designer and sell branded products that celebrate Black beauty. Another, Destiny Burse, discovered the Challenge during her senior year in the Mississippi Delta and went on to become one of our Youth Ambassadors, now pursuing a STEM MBA, leading community change, and helping decide how our grant dollars are distributed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"2\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We have the data. Ninety-five percent of our #BlackGirlJoy awardees reported being introduced to joy as a self-care and mental health strategy for the first time. Ninety-nine percent of attendees at our Black Girls Dream Conference said they saw themselves in a positive light. Ninety percent of our #BlackGirlJoyChallenge respondents reported gaining leadership skills in spaces facilitated by Black women leaders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These numbers tell the story. In a country where Black girls are disproportionately disciplined in schools, adultified in community and courtrooms, and overlooked by funders, our young people are telling us that joy changed the way they see themselves. That joy taught them they could lead. That a $550 investment unlocked something no deficit-based program could touch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is what our Visionary Founder, LaTosha Brown, has always understood: \u201cIf you change the life of a Black girl, you change the world.\u201d That is not poetry. It is a theory of change backed by nearly a decade of proof.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"450\" width=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?w=359&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Crowd of people, mostly young women, holding pink and white signs at an event called the &quot;Joy &amp; Justice Tour&quot; in various cities across the United States.\" class=\"wp-image-1681475\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7977984582262657;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?strip=all&amp;quality=80 398w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=122%2C153&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 122w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=330%2C414&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 330w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=359%2C450&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 359w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=180%2C226&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=80%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 80w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=160%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 160w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=40%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 40w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=383%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 383w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=199%2C250&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 199w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=117%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 117w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=245%2C307&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=69%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 69w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?resize=144%2C181&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Courtesy of Chance\u00e9 Lundy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And yet, the philanthropic sector continues to underinvest. At a time when DEI commitments are being rolled back and funding for organizations that dare center the needs of Black communities is being slashed, our work is more urgent than ever. The gap is not closing on its own. It requires intention, resources, and a willingness to trust Black girls with real decision-making power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is exactly what we do. Our Youth Ambassadors\u2014ages 13 to 24, spanning all 13 states we serve\u2014do not simply receive grants. They review applications, score proposals, and help select grant recipients. They connect the issues in their schools and neighborhoods to the broader policies that shape their lives. They are not the future of our movement. They are the present. We like to say \u201cwe got now!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As we prepare to take our Joy and Justice Tour across eight Southern states this year, I am thinking about what it means to scale joy. Not dilute it. Not commodify it. But to bring it directly to the communities where Black girls are dreaming, building, and leading, and to ensure they have the resources, support, and space to thrive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"3\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am also thinking about the philanthropy leaders reading this, the program officers, the foundation executives, and the donors wondering where to put their money. I want to offer you a challenge of your own: fund joy. Not as a line item. Not as a pilot. As a strategy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because when you invest in the joy of a Black girl, you are investing in girls that needed this support like me,\u00a0 you are investing in a drive-in movie that brings a neighborhood together during a pandemic. You are investing in a robotics team that changes what STEM looks like in a rural Southern town. You are investing in a young woman from the Mississippi Delta who stands before Congress one day and says, \u201cI learned I could lead because someone believed I was worth $550.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"450\" width=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?w=421&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"A smiling woman with red dreadlocks wearing a pink top and large pink earrings.\" class=\"wp-image-1681474\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.9355533178235356;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?strip=all&amp;quality=80 715w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=143%2C153&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 143w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=378%2C404&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=421%2C450&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 421w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=180%2C193&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=93%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 93w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=187%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 187w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=47%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 47w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=449%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 449w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=561%2C600&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 561w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=234%2C250&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 234w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=137%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 137w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=245%2C262&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=80%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 80w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540327027.jpg?resize=144%2C154&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 421px) 100vw, 421px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Chance\u00e9 Lundy \/ Courtesy of Chance\u00e9 Lundy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is not a luxury. That is the most strategic investment you will ever make.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Chanc\u00e9e Lundy is the Executive Director of the Southern Black Girls and Women\u2019s Consortium. Founded in 2017 by LaTosha Brown, Margo Miller, Felecia Lucky, and Alice Eason Jenkins, Southern Black Girls channels resources to underfunded organizations empowering Black girls and women across 13 Southern states. Learn more at southernblackgirls.org.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1512877\/alabama-state-homecoming-2025-baddies\/\">Bama State Baddies Shut It Down: Inside Alabama State\u2019s Hottest Homecoming Yet<\/a><em><br \/><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Courtesy of Chance\u00e9 Lundy Growing up in Selma, Alabama, I was once a girl who benefited from organizations specifically designed for young Black girls. \u00a0 That truth lives in every decision I make as the Executive Director of Southern Black Girls and Women\u2019s Consortium, an organization reshaping what philanthropy looks like when it centers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17841540412068.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=398&crop=0,0,100,499px","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}