Black Skeptics’ Receives Community Grant from the Black Freedom Fund!
My name is A’Mor Jackson, I am 17 years old, and I joined the Women’s Leadership Project in 2023. I graduated from King/Drew High School and will be attending the University of California, Davis as a freshman. My academic goal is to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Science and become a pediatric dentist with my own practice. Through my dental career, I will provide affordable dental healthcare in South Central Los Angeles and create confident smiles for children. By building a pediatric dental office, I plan to create a safe environment where children can have positive experiences, gain confidence, and have access to resources for the youth at risk. The Women’s Leadership Project has taught me the importance of advocacy, leadership, and using my voice to create change. Participating in The #Standing4Black rally for Missing and Murdered Black Girls showed me the importance of sharing people’s stories and voices, while speaking at City Council meetings taught me how to take action and advocate for my community. These experiences improved my leadership skills and inspired me to continue empowering others by being involved in my community. As I pursue my education and career, I will carry the Women’s Leadership Project teachings by advocating for communities, creating safe spaces for youth, and using my leadership to make a positive impact overall.
My name is Divine Omoruyi and I am 18 years old. I joined the Women’s Leadership Project in the 11th grade. This month, I graduated from King Drew Magnet High School, and I will be going to the Army then transferring to Cal State University Long Beach Some academic goals that I want to pursue for myself would definitely be, to graduate and receive my Bachelor’s in my chosen major, also to be blessed enough to work towards my Master’s degree shortly after. As of this moment I have not decided what I would like to get my degree in, but through research studies and internship programs I am confident that I will be able to know what’s right for me and my future. I also intend to get my realtors license and start a few businesses to not provide for myself but also my community. I want to work to improve my community and others around the world. I want to be the person that younger generations can relate to. My goals align with the Women’s Leadership Project by being the person that many others need to see to know that their stories are not valid and valued. I want to be a support system for everyone who needs it because I know how it feels to not have it. The Women’s Leadership Project has been extremely impactful in my life making me realize that there are a plethora of things in this world that go unheard, unseen, and unnoticed. Some recent events that have made me realize was our annual rally that took place at Leimert Park. That rally helped me understand how others view our society because they are unaware of the tragedies that accord within our neighborhoods. Another action was definitely the LGBTQ+ youth summit. This Youth Summit helped me see things that I would understand if I never gave it a chance. It made me realize that even though you can be open about your sexuality nowadays, it doesn’t mean that others still support your choices. All in all, The Women’s Leadership Project took my hand and made me look outside of the box that I was always known to realize that it’s a bigger world out there.
My name is E’niya Glover, I am seventeen years old, and I joined the Women’s Leadership Project in 2025. I am graduating from King Drew Magnet High School and I will be a freshman at Howard University as a psychology major in the fall. I hope to finish off the school year academically strong and fulfilled with leadership opportunities I gained through putting myself out there, including my involvement in the Women’s Leadership Project. In the future I hope to become a forensic psychologist who could bring meaningful change to my society. I find myself eager and driven to advocate for change in my community in regards to equity and inclusion which brings me the most motivation when I challenge myself everyday to beat the stereotypes attached to me before I could even have a say so. I have no choice but to notice the constant disparities against minorities, and I find that my own intersectionality has brought its own share of challenges. Constantly overcompensating, speaking out, and refusing to be dimmed or pushed to the back are things that I deal with everyday as a black woman, navigating a world that wasn’t set up for me. By being involved in WLP, I was able to advocate and use my voice to inspire change within my peers and the overall public. I was able to cultivate the thoughts and concerns that always plagued the back of my mind, and was able to share them loudly without shame. The Women’s Leadership Project didn’t give me a voice, but instead they gave me something twice as important, the space to build, grow, and learn. Events such as our recent beach retreat and the UCLA youth summit were opportunities given to my peers and I to hold space for each other and truly express the topics that hold the most value in our lives; equity, justice, alliance, racial equality, and a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth who often struggle in silence. Through these events we discussed real world issues, and what might need to change to improve those sad realities we often hear about. We drummed, did yoga, collaborated, and smiled amongst each other. It’s these events that hold the most impact as we were given the space to be.
My name is Ama Boateng. I am a senior at Hamilton School, and I joined the Women’s Leadership Project when I was 16 years old in the summer of my sophomore year. Although I am currently unaware of the college I will be attending in the fall, I will nonetheless enter as a Junior in the field of Aerospace Engineering. My Alma Mater is Alexander Senior High School as well as West Los Angeles College. My Academic and Professional Aspirations include attaining my Bachelor’s and PhD in Aerospace Engineering and taking these degrees to join a start-up or large corporation to manage or contribute to Aero and astronautical systems, while actively using my knowledge and skill set for prosperity. My profession of choice is indeed extremely male-dominated and those effects I have felt in my own STEM community. So with these passions and game-changing goals, I will encourage inclusion in my field and potentially teach my profession in my later years. Many of these ambitions and skills are linked to my time in the Women’s Leadership Project. It was there that I learned the value of self-advocacy, persistence, and intellect. Many times I believed that my silence or lack of action would remove me from the truth and I would be able to live freely. But that’s not the case. Speaking against choices made for me allowed me to define what is to be me, to be intelligent. It allowed me to feel comfortable enough to speak against those in Public Comment, who make poor decisions for my community, and force them to recognize their shortcomings. It allowed me to march and protest with my peers and bring awareness to issues like sex trafficking and gender based violence, issues I thought would not affect me. Women’s Leadership has brought me truth and community which are themes I felt I always chased to create or yearned to be a part of.
WLP and Black Skeptics L.A. would like to express appreciation to our donor sponsors, the Carrie and Ellie Harrington Fund and the Freedom From Religion Foundation for their generous multi-year support of these awards! Awardees receive between $500-$1500 in honor of their racial and gender justice community service, peer education and organizing engagement during their high school and college careers.
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