B4 The Afro-American October 12, 2024 - October 18, 2024
By Ariyana Griffin AFRO Staff Writer agriffin@afro.com
Inaugural Teen Unity Walk takes place in nation’s capital
Crittenton Services of Greater Washington (CSGW) held its first Teen Unity Walk on Sept. 22 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. For more than 135 years, CSGW has
AFRO Photo/ Ariyana Griffin
The girls, staff and supporters set out on their walk, raising their voices–and signs– together.
AFRO Photo/ Ariyana Griffin
LaTara Harris (center), CEO of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington, prepares to kick off the Teen Girls Unity Walk.
AFRO Photo/ Ariyana Griffin
Above: Participants of the Crittenton Services of Greater Washington Teen Unity Walk in D.C. come together. Photo courtesy of D2D CREATIVE + D2D FOCUS
Crittenton Service seniors Micah Settles (left), and Kira Wendt celebrate the opportunity to stand with other young ladies in an effort to support each other.
Courtesy Photo
Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, seventh grade Crittenton Girls Sophia Nogales (left) and Katherine Ávalos pause for a moment to take in the scene of the first march for teen girls.
been dedicated to providing teen girls with the resources and tools they need to be successful academically and in their everyday lives. Their programming equips Black and Brown girls in the greater Washington area with mentorship for middle and high school aged teens. More than 200 teen girls from Maryland and D.C. participated in the inaugural Teen Unity Walk to raise awareness around everyday issues that teen girls face, but are often overlooked such as societal pressures, bullying, positive self image, etc. According to their website, “99 percent or more of our girls graduate from high school; 99 percent advance to the next grade level; and at least 80 percent attend higher education or vocational training programs.” The organization has over 1000 girls across its current programming. LaTara Harris, the CEO of CSGW , expressed the importance of the event and what it would mean to the girls. “We knew that girls were struggling, especially since COVID,” Harris told the AFRO. “Girls have told us that we want to be safe, seen and protected - we wanted to bring together the community and other groups to let them know we are here for you. We want to be a part of your lives and we want to help you survive and thrive,” said Harris. She shared with the AFRO that they teach the girls a very important life skill: the ability to advocate for themselves. “The positive youth development element of what we’re teaching them to be advocates for themselves and to stand up for themselves is just such a critical piece. Knowing all of the challenges that we face in general as women - we know it’s exacerbated once they are entering certain spaces,” Harris stated. Plenty of supporters of the organization and teen girls were in attendance, as well as resource booths. The event was hosted by NBC4 Washington News Anchor Shawn Yancy. Attendees were able to hear from D.C. Secretary of State Kimberly Bassett and Meedie Bardonille, the founder and president of Black Nurse Collaborative, before starting their walk. “I just wanted to help advocate for young girls, especially going through a lot,” 16-year-old Naomi Asfaw told the AFRO. “There’s a lot of things going on right now, especially because of social media - insecurities and hate. Young girls really don’t know where to go to get resources or how to deal with issues,” Asfaw explained. She shared that the walk would be an excellent opportunity for her to learn more and be a helping hand to friends and family members. “I wanted to come out here and support young women and advocate for them and be able to even learn more for myself so that I can share advice with my friends or community,” said Asfaw.
Photo courtesy of D2D CREATIVE + D2D FOCUS
Ninth grade Crittenton Girls Marshai Langston (left), and Destiny Thomas march along the path to the Washington Monument.
Photo courtesy of D2D CREATIVE + D2D FOCUS
AFRO Photo/ Ariyana Griffin
Above: Naomi Asfaw prepares for the walk. Right: Participants craft their own signs with messages to hold during the walk.
AFRO Photo/ Ariyana Griffin
LaTara Harris (left), CEO of Crittenton Services, celebrates the Unity Walk with other organizers, including Kymber Lovett-Menkiti, a board chair of Crittenton Services; Kimberly Bassett, secretary of State of Washington, D.C.; Meedie Bardonille, founder and president of Black Nurse Collaborative and Celeste James, a board member of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington.
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