By Adoris Gibbs, Digital Media Manager
On Friday, Mar. 24, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta’s (BGCMA) women’s giving society Champions Club for G.I.R.L.S. hosted the annual Rebel Women Luncheon at John H. Harland Boys & Girls Club.
This year’s Rebel Women Luncheon sold 225 tickets–more than doubling sales from the past 3 years and grossing $7220 in sponsorships (the most ever!).
The emcee for the afternoon was CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard. Guest speaker and former Club kid Rachel Jackson, YouTube Music’s artist relations manager, gave her take on being a Rebel woman in her current position in YouTube Music. This year’s dynamic panel was moderated by Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta Board Trustee and Founding Chair of Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) Stephanie Blank. Speakers included Overtime Elite’s Senior Director of Public Relations and & Player Communications Whitney Bell, AT&T Southeast Coast States President Vanessa Harrison, Timberland’s Senior Manager of Global Social Media Manager Kaitlin Long, and Local Green Atlanta/Orland Co-Owner and Data Scientist Roby Wallace.
BGCMA continues to offer impactful program specifically for young people who identify as girls. One of the newer programs is the Griot Girls Club, created this past summer by BGCMA Vice President of Marketing & Communications Shernā “Dr. Nae” Phillips, PhD.
A griot is a traveling poet who maintains a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa. During the 4-week summer program, Griot Girls Club members wrote original stories that were later published into an anthology. Each Rebel Women Luncheon guest received a copy of that anthology and were treated to a live performance as five Griot Girls took the stage to read their original pieces.
Attendees also heard from A. Worley Brown Club Alumna and 2021 BGCMA Youth of the Year Regina Martinez. Martinez encouraged attendees to continue to invest in young women like herself and also offered advice for young people like our Griot Girls.
Panelists answered questions ranging from balancing business and personal lives to motherhood to breaking glass ceilings. When a panelist said something about breaking glass ceilings or something that resonated with attendees, sounds of tiny gavels banging on the tables erupted in the room.
One of those moments when Harrison offered new ways to frame everyday experiences for women like being negatively labeled as “mad.”
“I am mad,” said Harrison, “I am making a difference.”
Harrison also discussed prioritization of tasks, “You can drop a rubber ball because it will bounce back, versus a glass ball that will break.”
Each panelist offered a diverse outlook on how they emerged as a rebel women in their respective fields, leaving our attendees empowered.
If you are interested in learning more about Champions Club for G.I.R.L.S. please click here or contact Director of Individual Giving Whitney Brown at whbrown@bgcma.org.
If you join or renew your membership by the end of April you will receive a Champions Club hat!