Brianna Baker is on a mission to wake society up to the challenges faced by Black girls and ignite a movement to address them. As the founder of Justice For Black Girls, she is recognized as the national voice on the urgency of Black girls’ safety within and beyond the classroom.
Brianna’s journey to becoming a leading advocate for Black girls is rooted in personal experience and a deep understanding of the challenges faced today by Black girls in society. As a young girl in a family that celebrated girlhood and sisterhood, she was raised with a belief in her limitless potential. However, as she transitioned to school, she was exposed to a world filled with racism and misogynoir that contradicted everything she had learned at home. She recounts, “I started realizing that maybe I wasn’t brilliant, powerful, beautiful because of my Black girlhood, but in spite of it.
Her educational journey presented her with contrasting situations, from invisibility at a predominantly white high school to feeling recognized and valued at a predominantly Black high school and then on to Spelman College, where her identity was celebrated, not just tolerated. Through her journey, Brianna realized the need to uplift Black girls throughout their lives, asserting, “We shouldn’t have to wait to get to higher education to be in educational spaces that affirm us.”
Justice for Black Girls is Brianna’s response to what she experienced as a child. The organization addresses critical issues such as the adultification of Black girls, which perceives girls as young as five-years-old as adult sexual women and falsely punishes them for being children, and other obstacles that exist at the intersectionality of race and gender in education. Brianna said that she interpreted the perspective, “Black women have to do twice as much to get half as much” as having to do four times as much because being Black and a girl put her so far behind everyone else.
Brianna’s work extends beyond advocacy; it’s about changing the narrative and creating a world where black girls can thrive. Her initiatives create inclusive and safe spaces for Black girls in schools and society, and address issues ranging from educational exclusion to hair discrimination, ensuring that black girls are not penalized for their natural appearance. Justice for Black Girls offers programs that focus on education and promoting the sisterhood to heal and liberate Black girls in a world where they can thrive and includes:
- Classes with other Black girls
- Scholarships
- Conferences to share resources and information
- Laws prohibiting discriminatory practices
- Community that serves 70,000 girls and growing through social platforms.
Her invitation to action is clear, “Affirm the Black girls in your life…when you see a little girl in your life who looks unsure, just remind her that she’s brilliant and powerful.”
To learn more about Brianna’s inspiring work or to support Justice for Black Girls, visit justiceforblackgirls.com. Engage with their resources, participate in their events, and most importantly, take Baker’s advice to heart — uplift and affirm the Black girls in your community.
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