SEL Awardee

Shawana Ridley

Burnside Scholastic Academy
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL
“'Brown Girl Magic' is an empowerment program for young brown girls in a title 1 school on Chicago's south side. Brown Girl Magic means to feel secure, take action, make positive choices for their own lives and do positive things for others. Brown Girl Magic girls learn to think critically about the world around them, to express their feelings and acknowledge the feelings and thoughts of others in caring ways. In times of insecurity and self-doubt, their feelings will not be paralyzing because Brown Girl Magic members will have learned to work through their problems. Brown Girl Magic aims to encourage girls to grow up to lead full, valuable lives, ones that are not worried or crippled by their weight or hair. They will understand that the most important thing they will wear is their confidence.”
Tags: Girls & Young Women of Color, Identity Development, Middle School, Racial, Gender and/or Social Justice, Teacher, Traditional Public School, Urban