In Case You Missed It
The Black Girls Vote Ball was a HUGE HIT this year!!! In addition to commemorating our 6th anniversary on November 30th, this Ball was also a celebration of all that we as individuals have overcome this year, encapsulated under the theme “Dear Black Girl.” We had a VIP hour complete with Moët vending machine, appetizers, open bar, step & repeat, and live music! The event then opened up with wonderful words from our impressive honorees, highlights from what BGV has been up to over the past year, and the launch of our brand new membership program! And of course, we had to end the night right cutting up on the dance floor with a live DJ. Tickets sold out well in advance this year with over 700 people in attendance including elected officials, pageant queens, TV personalities, and many more. Being cautious of the pandemic, BGV ensured a COVID safe event requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the Ball. We appreciate everyone who showed up and showed out for BGV, including our amazing sponsors. If you missed out on your ticket this year, become an official BGV member to get exclusive access and updates for events, opportunities and merch! Become a part of the BGV movement. Join here today.
Check out a special BGV message with our Ball Theme, “Dear Black Girl.”
THIS IS OUR SHOT! Baltimore Youth State of Vaccination Event was live on October 14h, 2021. During this event, Baltimore Youth Ambassadors had the opportunity to speak directly to healthcare professionals and government officials about their questions concerning the COVID vaccine, dispel myths about the spread of the virus, and the pandemic broadly. Black Girls Vote, as part of the Baltimore Equitable Vaccine Initiative, is proud of each Baltimore Youth Ambassador who participated in and led this event. To watch the full video, click the image on the left, or this link.
Black Girls On the Move
The #BGVOutreach team held a high school voter registration challenge with Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy, Western High School, and Patterson High School to find out which school could get the most voters registered. The winners of the challenge had a pizza party the following week sponsored by Ledo’s Pizza! With over 250 voters registered among all four schools, Western High School was the winner of this year’s challenge with almost 100 voters!!! We are making a difference one voter at a time. Make sure you follow us on social media (@blackgirlsvote) to get updates on upcoming voter registration events, community engagement events, and other ways to get involved!
Black Girls’ Voices Matter!
This month’s BGV spotlight is Elease Duren. Elease has been a member of Black Girls Vote since 2018. When she joined, she served as a volunteer and was a part of the 2019 Host Committee for the Black Girls Vote Ball. In 2020, she was appointed to the leadership committee as a Project Lead. And this year she was one of our Co-Chairs for the 4th Annual Black Girls Vote Ball!
Elease is a Human Resources and Talent Acquisition professional who started her career at University of Maryland in 2007. By 2014, she had progressed to becoming a leader at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore. She states that her passion for, “talent development, mentoring and workforce development have been the key factors,” to her success in her career.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Elease has been committed to workforce development in her community through hiring and training the best candidates from her city. Her background in direct organizational planning, performance through strategic planning and process and staff development make her best suited to do this. Throughout her HR career, she has managed recruitment processes and procedures, employee training programs, compliance and regulatory training programs, leadership training, staff coaching, and employee engagement.
Elease has also been awarded for her professional success. The following are some of the greatest accomplishments in her career: 2019 Caesars Awards of Excellence Employee of the Year for Exceptional Internal Service, 2017 appointee selected to attend the Eastern Region Global Gaming Women Frontline Leaders Conference, 2019 member of the Global Gaming Women’s Lean in Circle, 2019 panelist for Horseshoe Casino’s Business Symposium, “The Power of You: Your Brand, Your Passion, Your Success,” member of the Associated Black Charities Fall 2019 Board Pipeline Leadership Program.
A graduate of Hampton University for her, Elease is currently pursuing her Senior Professional in Human Resources certification to continue to diligently develop her leadership skills and her team. In her spare time she does community work as a board member of MSBC 5 Star Community Development Corporation, and supports her daughter, a Sophomore Veterinary Medicine Major at Tuskegee University.
Thank you for your investment in Black Girls Vote, Elease! We admire your commitment and tenacity.
Elease is a Human Resources and Talent Acquisition professional who started her career at University of Maryland in 2007. By 2014, she had progressed to becoming a leader at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore. She states that her passion for, “talent development, mentoring and workforce development have been the key factors,” to her success in her career.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Elease has been committed to workforce development in her community through hiring and training the best candidates from Baltimore, for careers in Baltimore. Her background in direct organizational planning, performance through strategic planning and process and staff development make her best suited to do this. Throughout her HR career she has managed recruitment process and procedures, employee training programs, compliance and regulatory training programs, leadership training, staff coaching, and employee engagement.
Elease has also been awarded for her professional success. The following are some of the greatest accomplishments in her career: 2019 Caesars Awards of Excellence Employee of the Year for Exceptional Internal Service, 2017 appointee selected to attend the Eastern Region Global Gaming Women Frontline Leaders Conference, 2019 member of the Global Gaming Women’s Lean in Circle, 2019 panelist for Horseshoe Casino’s Business Symposium, “The Power of You: Your Brand, Your Passion, Your Success,” member of the Associated Black Charities Fall 2019 Board Pipeline Leadership Program.
A graduate of Hampton University for her, Elease is currently pursuing her Senior Professional in Human Resources certification to continue to diligently develop her leadership skills and develop her team. In her spare time she does community work as a board member of MSBC 5 Star Community Development Coorporation, and supports her daughter, a Sophomore Veterinary Medicine Major at Tuskegee University.
Thank you for your investment in Black Girls Vote, Elease! We admire your commitment and tenacity in improving your community and yourself.
Pass the Torch
Pass the Torch this month acknowledges Rhyann Gray! Rhyann is a Kansas City, Missouri native and a graduating senior (May 2022) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications with a concentration in Multimedia, and a minor in Marketing. Upon her graduation in the spring, she has signed a full-time job offer with TikTok in Austin, Texas, as a Client Solutions Planner in their Marketing/Advertising Sales Department.
She has been a collegiate member of Black Girls Vote since 2019, serving as the Public Relations/Marketing Chair and President at the NC A&T (@ncat_bgv) chapter since 2020. She became a collegiate member of BGV because, “Since 1865, voter suppression has tried to diminish the power of the Black vote time and time again.” The importance of civic engagement and the effects of voter suppression tactics were especially prevalent during her undergraduate career at A&T, when she discovered that her own campus had been divided by gerrymandering, effectively separating the nation’s largest HBCU into two congressional districts. The effort to destabilize such a strong voting body underscored the power that voters have and galvanized her to step into a leadership role at her BGV chapter and look to “create solutions to help my campus evolve past voter suppression for generations to come.”
Rhyann states that this is her favorite part of Black Girls Vote. She is proud to be part of an organization that has created lasting change on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University and on a national level. Her chapter has held numerous events and seminars, even registering 200 students to vote at their campus and organizing a march with over 150 students to the nearby campus polling site to vote in the last presidential election. Due to their impact, they were recognized on both national and local news stations! “Black Girls Vote has tremendously aided my ultimate college experience and because of that, I am forever indebted.”
We are equally grateful to have such a determined and inspiring young woman in our BGV family. Congratulations, Rhyann! May 2022 is just around the corner. You have already accomplished so many wonderful things, but we know that your best is yet to come!
We recognize your light and uplift your work, as we pass the torch to you: the next generation.
Black Girls Vote Membership
At our 2021 Black Girls Vote Ball, we launched our official annual membership program! Through this multi-tiered system, members will get exclusive access to BGV events, opportunities, swag, and much more (including this newsletter). The BGV Membership program is an annual program, with a full one-time payment required at the time of enrollment.
To sign-up, or for any questions concerning the newest BGV platform click here.
What are you waiting for? Join the BGV movement today.
BGV does not offer refunds or credits. Any payments or donations received are final.
You may stop/upgrade your benefits at any time by contacting membership@blackgirlsvote.com with your name, current membership, and requested action.
Black Girls Need Jobs Too!
Grants and Contracts Manager, Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, Inc.
The Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was created as a dedicated fund to support programs for Baltimore’s young people. BCYF, Inc. is committed to ensure that our children and youth are healthy, ready to succeed in school, and live in stable, safe, and supportive families and communities. We do more than grantmaking, we collaborate with grassroots organizations and community leaders to create new opportunities for the city’s young people to learn, thrive and succeed.
The Grants and Contracts Manager (GCM) is an essential member of the Finance and Administration team and works closely with program, finance, portfolio management, general counsel, and other teams to facilitate and track the progression of contracts, grants, and grant awards through various stages of vetting to execution. The GCM also manages the accounts payable process for grantees, contractors and vendors. This role advises and supports the development and management of BCYF, Inc. budgets, pipelines, and forecasts. Take me to this job
Client Manager, Blue Crab Strategies
Blue Crab Strategies (BCS) is a mission-driven strategic consulting firm that works with a select group of clients who are focused on improving peoples’ lives and the planet. We develop cutting edge strategies for some of the most impactful players around the globe leading the fight against the climate crisis!
Blue Crab Strategies is looking for a Client Manager who will serve as the primary lead for an important client, managing relationships, people, and projects in the U.S. and internationally, and expanding our ever-growing climate work. The Client Manager will oversee the daily operations for a project focused on accelerating the demise of the oil and gas industry. This role will involve everything from brainstorming with funders, to cultivating and maintaining relationships internally and externally, to fostering an inclusive workplace culture, to managing multiple interconnected projects, and more. Take me to this job
People and Culture Associate, Protect Democracy
Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization formed in late 2016 with an urgent and explicit mission: to prevent American democracy from declining into a more authoritarian form of government. Our founders, who came from the White House Counsel’s Office and upper echelons of the Department of Justice, assembled a group of some of the world’s leading experts on the decline of democracies in the 21st Century to sound the alarm that the global wave of authoritarianism had landed on U.S. shores.
Protect Democracy seeks a highly motivated individual to join our team in the role of Organizational Management (OM) Associate. As OM Associate, you will support a small, highly collaborative team working to improve and strengthen our culture and management systems as we scale. You will help implement some of our most critical human capital functions — including recruitment, onboarding and talent management — working in close partnership with members of the Organizational Management team and staff from across the organization. You will also work on initiatives that foster community, connections and belonging within Protect Democracy, and play a key role in organizing virtual and in-person retreats and other team-building activities. Take me to this job
Human Resources Director, Action Network
We are a non-profit tech company, utilizing a unique cooperative model to produce technology for the progressive movement. We are mission-driven — creating digital solutions that organizations large and small use to build progressive power. Our platform creates new possibilities for mobilization and organizing that are meeting a real need for the progressive movement.
A successful candidate has an extensive background and understanding in HR/People Operations and thrives on strengthening systems, processes, and procedures, always looking for ways to improve, simplify, or enhance the norms to bring about a better experience for all. This person also has a strong grasp of efficient administrative practices, ensuring compliance without excess burden. Most importantly, this candidate is curious, responsive and believes in collaboration as a model for getting to the best solution. This position reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer. Take me to this job
Senior Researcher, International Transportation Learning Center
Founded in 2001, the International Transportation Learning Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Silver Spring, MD. It is dedicated to advancing public transit and other transportation sectors at the national level and within state and local communities. To accomplish this mission, the ITLC supports labor-management partnerships in transit and transportation organizations, along with relevant non-profit and government partnerships, to help develop programs to improve organizational capacity and expand worker skills and career opportunities. The International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC) seeks an experienced and self-motivated research professional to collect, catalog, and curate publications, standards, training resources, and best practices on public transportation workforce development for industry dissemination, execute original research projects and write up key findings for publication. Take me to this job
Communications Manager, Peer Health Exchange
Peer Health Exchange (PHE) is a national non-profit organization that creates education opportunities for peers to share the tools and resources young people need to make healthy decisions. Since 2003, we have trained more than 15,000 college students to deliver in-person health education to over 188,000 high school-aged young people in communities across the country. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we re-designed our in-person programming to be delivered virtually and partnered with high school students to understand their mental health needs.
As the Manager, Communications you will support with building, executing, and managing communications strategies organization-wide that align with PHE’s strategic plan. Additionally, you will be a key player in driving all media relations and media placements (earned and opinion) in national and regional markets across the country and supporting a proactive national media engagement strategy. You will report directly to the Director, Marketing and Communications. Take me to this job
Account Executive/Partnerships Lead, FreeWill
FreeWill is an award-winning, social-good startup that has raised more than $4 billion for high impact nonprofits since we were founded in 2017. We’ve been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Oprah’s magazine, and our co-CEOs have even been named to Town & Country’s “Top 50 Philanthropists” list. All of this is because we’ve figured out how to make some powerful (but complicated!) ways to donate much easier and more accessible. Our products make things easier for the donors who want to change the world and for nonprofits doing heroic work around the planet.
FreeWill is seeking an Account Executive/Partnerships Lead to be the leading force that fuels our growing client relationships in our North American market. The Account Executive position is primarily responsible for revenue generation through strategic alliances with nonprofits. The ideal candidate will have proven experience prospecting into mid-market and / or enterprise level organizations, navigating a large buying committee and the patience and strategic ability to work a 3-9 month sales cycle. We expect the responsibilities to sometimes shift, and aim to hire an individual who is comfortable moving quickly in a fast-paced environment. Take me to this job
Black Girls Need Internships Too!
United States Senate, Various Internships
FRAC works to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. In partnership with hundreds of national, state, and local nonprofit organizations, public agencies, corporations, and labor organizations, FRAC strives to build a nation in which all people have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy and productive lives.
Maryland Hunger Solutions (MDHS), an initiative of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), seeks a highly motivated and skilled individual to join Maryland Hunger Solutions as an Advocacy intern. Through advocacy, research, coalition-building, outreach, technical assistance, public education and program monitoring, the intern will work with MDHS staff to protect and improve federal, state and local nutrition programs in the state of Maryland. This internship is currently designed to work remotely, requiring the use of online and phone communications.
Black Girls Volunteer Too!
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