Black Women, Black Girls

I feel overwhelmed with gratitude in this moment. I have the opportunity to conduct groundbreaking research on black women and girls this summer with an organization whose mission aligns with my values. The mission of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) is to advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public. The CBCF serves at the pleasure of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), for which I have profound admiration and appreciation. As a college student, I interned with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary, where I had the pleasure to work with many CBC members, including Congressman John Conyers (co-founder of CBC) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (current chair of CBCF).

Within the CBCF is the Center for Policy Analysis and Research, where I currently serve as a policy research analyst fellow. Working directly with the Vice President, Dr. Menna Demessie, I developed research agendas that suit my interests and unique talents. Presently, I am drafting two reports, the first on black girls and the school-to-confinement pipeline, and the second on black women pursuing elected political office. It is a rare opportunity to center black women in research, and I look forward to sharing the reports widely once published. This will be my first opportunity to have my research published formally, outside of blogs or conferences.

I wouldn't have the capacity to take advantage of this opportunity if it weren't for the generosity of the Harvard Square to Oval Office Program. The financial and personal support from the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government is the reason that I am here.

What if you were really were exactly where you were meant to be? What if you were doing what God created you to do? What if you were blessed with the opportunity to fulfill your purposed?

-- C. Woods