January Newsletter

In Case You Missed It

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). This is the final issue of this newsletter that will be fully accessible to non-members. To stay in the know and continue receiving our annual updates, sign up here.

The BGV Membership program is an annual program, with a full one-time payment required at the time of enrollment.
For any questions concerning the newest BGV platform, click here.

What are you waiting for? Join the BGV movement today.

In Case You Missed It

We are STILL on a high from our BGV Ball! From the live music, to our fabulous honorees, to the Moët VIP lounge, all of our generous sponsors, our amazing host, and of course the glamorous red carpet — this was definitely an experience we will never forget! To our over 700 guests, thank you for making sure we SOLD OUT yet again. If you missed out on your ticket this year, catch the highlights in the video above. Next year’s Ball will be held on Friday, November 18th. Get notified as soon as tickets go on sale when you become an official BGV member! Don’t miss out.

Black Girls On the Move

#BGVOutreach team hit the ground running by holding our very first Black Girls Vote Interest Meeting of 2022. During this meeting, we discussed the different committees within the organization, what we do to support and uplift our community, and the ways for new members to get involved! BGV’s goal is always to meet people where they are and make a difference one voter at a time. Our first outreach event of the year will be a day of service taking place on MLK Day (January 17, 2022). Volunteer with us as we feed the homeless at Our Daily Bread Center (725 Fallsway, Baltimore, MD 21202). If you are not able to make it in person, we encourage you to donate $10 toward purchasing the items that we will use (masks, gloves, bagged lunch for volunteers, etc). Donations can be made via cashapp to $Blackgirlsvote.

Make sure you follow us on social media (@blackgirlsvote) to to check out our events, community engagement events, and other ways to get involved! BGV members receive first notice of all upcoming events, so if you haven’t already, become a member by clicking here.

BGV Partnership Spotlight!

2021 was our first year partnering with Breakthru Beverage and Moët Hennessy. Jessica Simpson (formerly of Breakthru Beverage) reached out to us about working together and a beautiful partnership was formed! With Moët on the production side and Breakthru on the distribution side, we were able to bring you four sponsored events (Ladies & Politics, ConvHERsations & Cocktails with Ladies in LeadHERship, Dope Black Girls Brunch, Black Girls Vote Ball) complete with signature cocktails and/or Moët drinks and vending machines. Through their sponsorship, we have been able to provide the superior experiences that BGV is known for, and in 2022, there is so much more on the horizon. Let’s raise a glass to our partners in 2022 and beyond!

BGV News

Over the past year, we have seen state’s enact prejudicial laws that target and inhibit Black people and other people of color, young people, and people with disabilities from voting. As people who hold these identities, we have barriers placed in front of us to make it more difficult for us to utilize our vote as our voice. Michelle Obama has spoken out against these voter suppression tools through her organization, When We All Vote. Black Girls Vote, along with several other voting rights organizations, signed on and took the Fight for Our Vote Pledge. This year, as we approach midterm elections, Black Girls Vote has committed to:

• recruit and train volunteers throughout 2022 to register and turn out voters in their communities
• register new voters across the country
• organize Americans to contact their Senators and call on them to do everything in their power to the the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act passed
• commit to educate voters on how to vote safely in their state

Will you help us in the fight to ensure our votes are protected? Join BGV today to get exclusive access to trainings and seminars on how you can get out the vote in your community.

Black Girls’ Voices Matter!

Nakia Mack is our January 2022 BGV spotlight! Nakia has been a member of Black Girls Vote since 2017. She was first introduced to the organization when she saw a meeting that was held at Baltimore City Community College, where she was instantly moved by what she saw: Black women of all ages from all walks of life, strategizing, supporting, and encouraging each other to be the change that they wanted to see in the world. This was one of the very same principles her parents instilled in her when she was a little girl. From that moment she knew BGV was the organization for her.

A native New Yorker, Nakia was born and raised in Brooklyn by her loving parents. She now resides in Baltimore County, MD with her devoted husband Randy Mack and her teenage daughter. She received her bachelor’s degree in Natural Science minor in Computer Science from Virginia Union University. She also completed her Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Walden University. Nakia is a veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the United States Army.

When she joined BGV in 2017, it was as a volunteer. She showed up where she was needed and her commitment to the organization did not go unnoticed. During the 2020 pandemic, she was appointed as a Co-Lead of Outreach Committee and has been in the role since. When asked about being one of the Outreach Committee leads she said, “I love being a part of the Outreach Committee because we are educating, engaging, and empowering our community. And these are the core elements of BGV. We are meeting people where they are. You might even see signature BGV Voter Registration & Engagement at your nearest market! We are encouraging and empowering individuals to utilize their voices through their votes.”

Professionally, Nakia is a Health Analyst for the federal government. She previously worked as Program Manager at Keswick Community Health Division (KCH), Baltimore, Maryland. In this role, she was responsible for the oversight of the organization’s transitional care patients and provided extensive case management for the community-based clients in Baltimore City.

Thank you for your service, Nakia! We are grateful for your consistency in how you show up for and represent Black Girls Vote.

Pass the Torch

Pass the Torch this month acknowledges Lyric Amodia! Lyric is currently a junior and member of our collegiate chapter at Howard University (@hu_bgv). She is a Political Science major and an Afro Studies minor who is slated to graduate in May of 2023.

Lyric joined HU Black Girls Vote after her mentor introduced her to the organization in a conversation during my freshman year. Her mentor’s passion for the organization and its mission drove Lyric to research on her own. She notes that through her research, she was inspired by BGV being a Black women run and operated organization with close proximity to her school, including a chapter which was in the process of coming to her campus at the time. As someone who moved around a great deal through her childhood; living in Germany, Arizona, and Flint, Michagan; she was most excited to connect to the DMV community during her undergraduate years here. Already, she has been a great help in both her collegiate chapter, and the national headquarters through her work in the Dope Black Girls Brunch and the BGV Ball.

She states that she joined this organization because, “Through BGV I thought I would be able to make a large impact, advocate, and be a great representation to my community. I love that I am able to connect with like minded women across institutions other than my own. I really enjoy that we share a common goal to be leaders in the political landscape.” After graduation, she plans to run her own international non-profit organization with the goal of organizing political campaigns and producing high profile political events.

You are already proving that you are talented and capable of doing so many amazing things, Lyric. Thank you for being a devoted member of this organization. We already know we’ll see you and your organization on the national stage in the next few years!

We recognize your light and uplift your work, as we pass the torch to you: the next generation.

Black Girls Need Jobs Too!

HBCU Coordinator, Campus Vote Project.
Campus Vote Project (CVP) was launched in 2012 by Fair Elections Center to expand our work on student voting issues. We work with universities, community colleges, faculty, students, and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting. CVP helps campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information they need to register and vote.

Campus Vote Project seeks an HBCU Coordinator to join our National HBCU Manager in growing our organization’s work to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities institutionalize civic learning and democratic engagement programs for their campus communities and empower their students to participate in our democracy. The Coordinator is charged with developing and managing relationships with campus administrators and faculty leadership to carry out our goals. They also supervise “Democracy Fellows,” stipend student positions committed to carrying out democratic engagement programs on their campuses. Democracy Fellows coordinate with administration and faculty, helping organize student voter registration, voter education, and voter turnout activities. The HBCU Coordinator will report directly to the National HBCU Manager. Take me to this job

Assistant Director of Academic Affairs and Administration for the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) Program, Georgetown University
The MSFS Assistant Director of Academic Affairs and Administration supports 250+ US and international students and 100+ full-time and adjunct faculty members in three ways: academic and student affairs, academic and faculty affairs, and administration.

In academic and student affairs, the Assistant Director serves as a member of the MSFS curriculum committee and provides program administration as needed in coordination with the Director of Academic and Faculty Affairs. Activities also include managing course scheduling, tracking student progress to degree, and providing internship and career-related services in coordination with the SFS Career Center. Take me to this job

Project Manager – Board of Trustees, The Urban Institute
At the Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. As a nonprofit focusing on social and economic policy, our researchers and policy entrepreneurs open minds, shape decisions, and identify transformative solutions to the most pressing issues of our time.

Central to Urban’s mission is fostering a truly inclusive community that ensures ongoing relevance to a changing world. The Executive office for the Urban Institute seeks an experienced professional to work with the president and executive team to manage all aspects the Board of Trustees as they carry out important governance and programmatic duties on behalf the Urban Institute.

The ideal candidate will have at least 5 – 7 years of experience managing high profile, complex projects in a fast-paced office environment. The candidate will also be an adept and detail-oriented manager with experience working collaboratively with staff across all divisions to accomplish Institute priorities.Take me to this job

Communications Director, Black Voters Matter
BVM is seeking a Communications Director to be responsible for the design and implementation of our strategic communications and narrative-shift objectives, including social media, text-based and print materials. The Director will increase visibility and lead external efforts, including with media and national programmatic partners. The Director will also lead BVM’s communication team in developing movement communications infrastructure and providing support to community-based network partners to strengthen local communications.

The Director will lead messaging and collaboration with national/regional partners within the Black electoral ecosystem or who are organizing around racial justice issues consistent with BVM’s approach. The Director will lead a team of 3-4 staff members. Take me to this job

Research Director, League of Conservation Voters
LCV believes our earth is worth fighting for because everyone has a right to clean air, water, and a safe, healthy community. To ensure those rights are protected, we help people use their power to shape policy, hold politicians and polluters accountable, and influence elections.

LCV is hiring a Research Director who will lead background and investigative research projects on environmental and environmental justice issues and the records of congressional incumbents and other candidates in support of LCV’s issue organizing, advocacy and electoral campaigns. This role is highly collaborative, working cross-departmentally with key external programs and compliance teams. The ideal candidate is an experienced researcher, project manager and creative strategic thinker who will center racial justice and equity in our issue advocacy and electoral work. The ideal candidate is also an experienced and skilled supervisor, as the research team will be growing in 2022. Take me to this job

Senior Manager, Infrastructure Engineering, Pew Charitable Trust
Information Technology (IT) at Pew takes a proactive approach toward the use of technology to increase the organization’s capacity for high-quality strategic philanthropy. Executive staff at Pew recognizes the importance of technology and supports related initiatives to advance the institution’s goals and achieve and maintain a leadership position in the philanthropic community. As a result, IT is in a mode of continuous improvement, applying current technology and practices to the pursuit of the goals of the institution.

The Senior Manager, Infrastructure Engineering supervises a team of highly skilled engineers & systems administrators and reports to the Director, Infrastructure Operations and Security. The Senior Manager is responsible for the design, and operation of Pew’s technology infrastructure, both cloud and on-premises, which includes servers, storage, network and associated infrastructure systems. This is both a strategic and hands-on technical role, working with other senior members of the Information Technology. Take me to this job

Black Girls Need Internships Too!

United States Senate, Various Internships

I want to intern

Black Girls Volunteer Too!

The Be. Org

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