Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative for Economic and Social Justice

Each year some 100 young women from three states (Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi) participate in the Unita Blackwell Young Women’s Leadership Institute. The Honorable Unita Blackwell from Mayersville, Mississippi was the first Black woman elected mayor in the state. Her legacy continues through the work of SRBWI, and particularly with this generation of young women and girls.

The Unita Blackwell Young Women’s Leadership Institute is an intensive leadership development training program for young women ages 14-19. During the Institute, participants engage in interesting, challenging and interactive activities designed to increase leadership skills, acquaint and enhance understanding of the Human Rights Agenda, learn about the rich contributions of southern rural black women to civil and human rights, and experience the rich culture of the southern black experience.

Since 2005, well over 600 young women and their mentors have actively participated in the five-day Institute. Highlights from past years’ YWL Institutes include: Panels on the contributions of the ancestors to Human and Civil Rights, Health and Wellness, and Asset Economic Development; interactive workshops on Fashion Design, Jewelry Making, Photography, African and African American Dance, Spoken Word and Shadow Sculpture on paper; forums on how Hip Hop and Media Images impact young women’s self image. 

An advanced track of the Blackwell Institute, “New Visions,” involves 15 young women and a mentor from each state who engage in digital film making intensives at the Institute, followed by training and guidance across the year in their local communities.“New Visions” is committed to engaging and involving these young women in the work of SRBWI and to teaching them a marketable skill.