FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For the past two school years, Fayetteville High School's (FHS) "Black Girls Excellence Club", has been providing students learning opportunities, preparing them for post-graduation life, and lending an empathetic ear to listen.
"The mission for our club is to have our African American students be able to connect with one another in a safe space," said Breanna Taylor, FHS teacher and club sponsor.
Taylor has sponsored the organization for two school years now. It all started when Taylor saw an opportunity to address unmet needs of Black girls on campus. After seeing that FHS already had a club on campus for Black male students, she decided that there needed to be one for girls too.
"We also had the Breonna Taylor and George Floyd era and as an adult, I knew I was suffering so I knew our students were struggling and I wanted them to be able to express their struggles and feel comfortable expressing them," Taylor recalled.
The organization hosts career fairs, therapeutic art events, cookouts, conversations on mental health and educational panels.
"We have African American women from the Northwest Arkansas community at Fayetteville High School here to empower the students because representation matters and I want my students to see that they can be like these women when they get out of school," explained Taylor.
One panelist, Monique Jones, says at this stage in the students' lives it's imperative to host inspirational and educational events that connect them with the community.
"Seeing somebody that looks like you, that's doing something that you'd dream of, is giving them that ability to say 'I can reach for it and it can happen for me too'," Jones said.
FHS senior Madison Henry has been in the club since the start and she says as a minority, it has shaped her high school experience.
"At Fayetteville high school, there are actually 240 black students out of like 2,000 students so it really has a tremendous impact on me because I'm able to have a safe space and have my Blackness be seen more than entertainment but more about what I bring academically to the table and how I impact my community - I just feel seen and heard," Henry said.
That lasting impact has prepared her for the next chapter in her life and on top of that, the panel gave her and other students insight on navigating adulthood as a Black woman.
"Well one thing that stuck out to me from today's panel is that you have to know who you are, you have to know your morals and your foundation because that will set you up for what you'll want to do with your life and who you need to allow in your life," explained Henry.
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