Nonprofit Black Girls Smile is hosting its third-annual Black Girls Are Magic Conference July 17-19.
ATLANTA — Nonprofit Black Girls Smile is hosting its third-annual Black Girls are Magic Conference July 17-19.
The mental wellness nonprofit offers education and resources for Black women and girls in Atlanta and nationwide.
Titled “Building Barriers, Building Resistance,” registration for the three-day virtual conferences is open at zero cost to all girls and women interested. People can register throughout the conference, up until the last day.
During the conference, attendees will hear from Atlanta’s own, Normani. The singer and dancer will share her personal struggles with attendees as a guest speaker at the conference.
Recognized as one of the leading organizations focusing on Black women and girls’ mental wellness, Black Girls Smile was founded by Lauren Carson in 2012.
“I created Black Girls Smile because I wish I had spaces, experiences and resources catered to Black girls’ mental health when I was younger,” Carson said in an email to 11Alive. “I vividly remember googling ‘Black girl depression’ and not finding anything, and believing that I was the only Black girl that struggled with mental health difficulties like depression.”
Through her personal, lived-in experiences, Carson created BGS to make Black girls feel supported and safe when focusing on their mental health and well-being.
Black girls have serious unmet mental health needs, which has been called a mental health crisis hiding in plain sight, according to the National Black Women’s Justice Institute.
As listed on their website, suicide attempts by Black youth increased between 1991 and 2017, while suicide attempts among youth across other races and ethnicities decreased.
“Black Girls Smile’s name was birthed from the thought that Black girls deserve to live mentally healthy lives. Black girls deserve to SMILE,” Conrad said.
To register for the last day of the conference, click here.
