Both WonderGIRL and BraveGIRL applied to be youth representatives at the In Solidarity We Rise: Social Justice for Girls conference in Atlanta. Sponsored by our local DV commission, we got to attend the conference and travel together.

It was an amazing weekend full of connections and new learning about trauma and the injustice of multiple systems against girls, especially girls of color. I saw both girls being empowered and lit up about some of the topics being presented, which made my little activist heart happy. It also gave me fuel for my professional fire of finding ways to improve the existing system for all children through a trauma-responsive lens. I am a big proponent of teenagers getting outside of their state and culture to experience life with others and often being the minority culture in this setting set the stage for some powerful conversations and teaching about respect, the power of words, and the strength of diversity.

We spent our Mother’s Day visiting BGs family who recently moved to Georgia and visited the amazing Georgia aquarium.