Intro
Blackgirl is an intersectional identity* that does not separate ones racial identity from ones gender identity. Additionally, blackgirl is not bound by age and applies to any female human being of African ascent. "I started writing blackgirl as one word in an effort to acknowledge that my race and sex are inextricable markers that influence how I experience the world and how the world experiences me... By taking out the space I was erasing the assumed pause (read apology, explanation, stereotype) between my identities" (Robin Boylorn, 2018.) The lives of blackgirls are both complex and contradictory. She is not a monolith, nor an anomaly. A blackgirl who understands her value prioritizes radical self-care and cultivates her gifts, which are precious and tangible as gold. She creates affirming identities and serves unapologetically.
History
Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Billye (Founder of BGU) was/is a blackgirl in love with the 80’s, writing stories, and creating friendships. While her greatest influence has always been her mother, Mary Rhodes, she was inspired by Mary McLeod Bethune, Nikki Giovanni and Audre Lorde to fully realize the obligation of her gift – writing – and the need to sow it as a tool of reflexivity and agency for other blackgirls. Moreover, understanding the importance of building strong financial institutions, in 2015 she began to sow tithes into various community initiatives such as Feed the People and LYRIC Squad. This practice of sowing "in her backyard" engendered the Blackgirl Gold Unapologetic Scholarships and Grants.
Blackgirl Gold Unapologetic (BGU) became active as an incorporated, non-profit public charity, February 16, 2018. We awarded our first scholarships, September 1, 2018.
