USHRN honors The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects on International Women Human Rights Defenders Day

Nov 29, 2019

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Today we celebrate International Women Human Rights Defenders Day by recognizing one of our many influential, impactful, and essential grassroots member organizations: The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects.

“The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects takes a holistic approach to the leadership development of Black girls and women through a consortium of projects. These projects are avenues by which Black girls in the southeastern United States are centered. We’re growing as an organizing, educating, advocating and cultural space that nurtures leadership development, engages in reproductive health work that empowers women through policy work and have a focus on civic engagement. The organization creates safe spaces for these Black girls with the goal of having their homes and communities places where their safety and freedom are welcomed.” Read more here.

We chose to highlight The Lighthouse today for the organization’s outstanding commitment to uplifting Black girls and women in the southern United States. The Lighthouse has extensive and diverse programming that seeks to provide opportunities, safe spaces, love, care, and acceptance for Black girls and young women to heal, grow, and thrive.

The US Human Rights Network firmly believes that healing and community building are essential building blocks for fighting for and securing human rights for all, particularly for the most oppressed groups and individuals in our society. On this path towards true freedom, it is of the utmost importance for activists and advocates to create truly safe spaces and healing with each other and with the constituents they fight alongside.

We recognize and uplift The Lighthouse for their determination, creativity, realism, and compassion for Black girls and young women in the United States. We are humbled to call The Lighthouse a USHRN member, and we encourage fellow members to check out their work and share our posts to honor The Lighthouse today.

• View our FB, Twitter, and IG posts on The Lighthouse
• Read our short interview with The Lighthouse Founder Natalie A. Collier
• Donate to The Lighthouse here, or here 
• Follow The Lighthouse on FB, Twitter, and IG @luvblkgrls

“On the occasion of International Women Human Rights Defenders Day on 29 November, we, independent experts of the UN Human Rights Council, pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of women throughout the world who work tirelessly and with courage to defend women’s human rights as well as all those who work for substantive equality in every sphere of society. These agents of change, fighting against all forms of discrimination and inequality, are recognized today as women human rights defenders.” - United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

In Solidarity,

The US Human Rights Network Coordinating Center