The Southern Black Girls and Women's Consortium (SWBGC / The Consortium) has announced a summer of fun and funding fueled by a series of special events that will provide resources and safe spaces for Black girls and women to dream. Themed "Joy Is Our Journey," movements will kick-off with an exclusive, invite-only tea and brunch affair during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans on Sunday, July 3. Following the event will be an exciting, month-long Dream Tour that will travel throughout Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas from August 20-September 18, 2022. Featuring experiential activities and educational moments, the interactive tour will provide a safe space for Black girls and women to create, release and simply be their authentic selves.

"We are building a movement, changing narratives and shifting philanthropic support for Black girls and women in the south," declares LaTosha Brown, visionary founder of the SBGWC and Black Voters Matter. "'Joy Is Our Journey' is not just an awareness effort to amplify who we are and what we do. It is a mission to raise $100 million to financially empower Black girls and women-focused organizations that seek to provide greater resources and opportunities in education, entrepreneurship, cultural exposure and more. Plus, we get to spread a little #BlackGirlJoy along the way!"

"Black girls and women are still fighting for the rights, resources and recognition they deserve," says Felecia Lucky, president of the Black Belt Community Foundation in Selma, AL. "Through our work, we are able to fill this vital funding gap and improve the quality of life for generations of Black girls and women."

To date, The Consortium has already awarded over $2.5 million to 71 organizations and special projects from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These awards include over $373,000 for social justice projects and more than $120,000 for economic opportunity projects. They also include more than $940,000 in grants to support educational efforts and over $650,000 to organizations or projects geared toward safe, nurturing, preventive and curative healing experiences by trained health professionals (e.g. physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).