African American Women’s
Resource Center
For Immediate Release
March 4, 2010
Contact: Cassandra Burton
202-332-6561
aawrc@aawrc.org www.aawrc.org
Responding To The Call For Help! The African American Women’s Resource Center Reaches Out To Empower Girls In The District of Columbia
The African American Women’s Resource Center (AAWRC) is working to empower, inspire, and support the growth and development of girls in the District of Columbia. As part of that effort, the AAWRC will again sponsor an annual oratory contest. On May 29, 2010, AAWRC will host the We are the Ones! Oratory Contest. Teenage girls from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area are eligible to participate.
The We are the Ones! Oratory Contest is being held in honor of Septima Clark, an educator, civil rights activist and considered by some as the “grandmother” of the city rights movement. Septima Clark was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1898. She was a renowned orator and was also known for her compassion and activism and a strong belief in the individual and collective responsibility of each person to give back to the communities in which we live. She employed others to always bring along two generations -- always asking those she came into contact with “who are you bringing along?”
The We are the Ones! Oratory Contest is an important tool for helping to improve a girl’s ability to research and analyze problems, think and listen critically, express thoughts clearly and fluently, and better understand community and world affairs. In today’s complex and global community, girls of the African Disapora, in particular, need additional resources for enhancing awareness of themselves and the communities in which they live, striving for
excellence, and empowering them to take a more active role in changing the dynamics that lead to wasted lives and blighted communities. The contest helps instill confidence in each participant and in the words of Septima Clark, “bring the next two generations along."
Applications are now being accepted for teenage girls in schools and afterschool programs. There are a number of learning opportunities and three cash prize levels.
The AAWRC provides services, develops programs and advocates for women and girls of the African Diaspora and their communities. The vision was born in 1994 in the atmosphere of a nearby bookstore, Sisterspace and Books. During weekly conversations, women began to realize the importance of discussing the many issues affecting African American woman and finding ways to meet the needs that they shared. Over 15 years later, the AAWRC, a nonprofit organization, continues to promote the ideas and visions of the founders, and to include as a natural part of its vision, the empowerment of youth and their families.
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