Inspired! Winter 2021
Newsletter
CULTIVATING COILED CREATIVITY Girl Scouts has been changing the game since its inception in 1912, when founder Juliette Gordon Low established an organization that would empower ALL girls. Five years later, pioneers like Maggie L. Walker and Josephine Groves Holloway led the efforts to ensure Southern states include African American Girl Scouts, with the first all-AfricanAmerican troop forming in 1917. And just last August, Judith Batty became the first Black CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. During the fall, three GCNWI Community Organizers launched a new program to uplift and encourage young Black girls in a space often viewed both as a pain point and a source of joy in the African American community. Pigtails, Puffs, and Ponytails, spearheaded by Laureen Head, Shana Jenkins, and Kisa Fitzgerald, was created to highlight the evolution of what is viewed as “natural beauty,” and to instill the courage in girls to live out loud. This hour-long event coupled Girl Scout history with hands-on hairstyling activities for attendees. Activity boxes containing hair accessories donated by Damron Corporation were mailed to nearly 125 families, some as far away as Maryland and Pennsylvania. What ensued was an unforgettable evening for everyone gathered: families from 37 communities and seven states engaged in discussions about African American history and culture, favorite hairstyles, the significance of the Afro in the 1960s and 1970s, ending with a hair-braiding tutorial. As
one girl said in the comments of the Zoom call, it was the “best day ever” (written with more than 50 Rs!). “[This event] allows the girls to have fun with something that is not always understood but is a part of who they are. We want girls to learn to be comfortable and confident with one of the very things about themselves that makes them unique and allows them to stand out from everyone else,” Shana said. “Hair, and the way you wear your hair, is a reflection of your personal style and self-expression in the African-American community," Kisa continued. "We connect with each other through our hair. I hope that girls are able to learn more about Girl Scouts while connecting and embracing their hair history.” “Many people in our community don’t know the [Girl Scout] program, don’t know we build leaders. So, we are showing girls that the [Girl Scout] program is valuable,” Laureen added. “I think [this event], along with Girl Scouts really, amplifies the message that you are important and accepted as you are.” @girlscoutsgcnwi
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