The National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) in partnership with The Black Women for Black Girls Giving Circle (BWBG), the Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), and other community leaders, held the inaugural Black Girls: Untold Strength and Resilience Summit Nov, 9, 2010 at the Interchurch Center in New York City. At the summit, dynamic thought leaders and practitioners presented the findings and recommendations from the groundbreaking study, Black Girls in New York City: Untold Strength and Resilience.

NBLCA provided leadership as a sponsor and member of the Black Women for Black Girls planning committee, which organized this event. NBLCA hosted the health forum at the summit. NBLCA also sponsored the workshop entitled, “Strengthening the Voices of Women and Girls in HIV/AIDS Policy Advocacy.” Panelists included C. Virginia Fields, NBLCA President and CEO; Athena B. Moore, NBLCA Director of Public Policy/Project Manager-National Black Women’s Conversation on HIV/AIDS; Dr. K. Aletha Maybank, Assistant Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Brooklyn Public Health Office; and Tiffanie Patterson, Outreach Coordinator, Health and Education Alternatives for Teen and Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition. The panelists addressed a range of issues designed to expand service provider and community knowledge of health service options, strategies for intervention and referral, and critical policy advocacy efforts impacting women and girls, including the President’s National AIDS Strategy.

Afternoon sessions were devoted to the 200 ninth grade students from the Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) and the Women’s Academy of Excellence.  The sessions informed participants and connected the girls with success strategies and resources that will enable them to make better life decisions.

The finale of the summit was a girl-focused session featuring Grammy Award Winning artist, Mary J Blige.

For more information about the summit, click here. To view a slideshow from the event, click on the video below.