For days, I have watched the news coverage concerning George Floyd. I have experienced every emotion that I could feel for another human being and I still feel like my tears are not enough.
I have reached out to teens in our mentoring program and former members who are now college students to give them an opportunity to express themselves in a safe space. I reminded them that their Black Lives Matter to me and the team at I Am A Queen. For some of our girls, they have a lot of questions, for some, they want to protest peacefully and for others, they are just numb.
As a mentor, you want to create a foundation for our youth that feels comfortable for them to be kids and give them time and a place to grow into becoming our future leaders … but this is one is hard. Our kids are receiving their information from various platforms and they are well aware of what’s going on. So it’s up to us to help shift this generation. And most of us know, that the children we impact consistently, are mostly children of color, and they need us more than ever. They need to know how we feel and they need our listening ears to be heard. Because they matter.
If you are dealing with a teen or young adult in your household, we encourage you to have this conversation. I know it’s hard but it’s a start…
If you don’t have all of the answers, please Education Yourself by visiting blacklivesmatter.com or read this article: 11 things you can do to support Black Lives Matter.
Speak Up and Speak Out – Use your social media platforms to be heard, share information with your friends and encourage your teens to share their feelings on I Am A Queen’s Community Forum on our website.
If you know someone who is not comfortable sharing in a public forum, please ask them to email me personally at alana@iamaqueen.org or text me at a 336-638-1315, so that they can express themselves privately.
Lastly, please support your local organizations in your communities working with children of color. We are doing our best to work with our teens during COVID-19 on top of having hard conversations about racial justice.
Just a friendly reminder….please join us for prayer tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST. We are praying for the Black Community, Our Black Kings and Queens.
Dial-In Conference Number
336-234-1155
(No Access Code Needed)
Best regards,
Alana V. Allen
Founder and Executive Director of I Am A Queen
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