Dear Columbus, Black girls are 'so dope, so beautiful, so radiant' and deserve love| Girls

Amelia Robinson is the Columbus Dispatch's opinion and engagement editor

After Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, was shot and killed by police during an altercation outside of a Columbus foster home in 2021, fran frazier snapped into action to help alleviate the pain in the hearts of other Black girls all around this community.

More:Columbus group Black Girl Rising empowers girls with 'love letters'

She activated a network of 100 Black women to write love letters to support and build up Black girls.

Those letters were once again read to groups of Black girls around Columbus recently as part of a project organized by Black Girl Rising. a girl lead advocacy and social change organization.

We published a joint letter signed by scores of Black women last year.

This year we invited a Black Girl Rising alumna and two current participants to share letters to the community about their experience in Columbus.

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They read the letters and discuss what it is like for Black girls in Columbus during a special episode of the "Then What Happened?" podcast hosted by me.

The episode is embedded here:

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I feel the pressure

Dear community,

Black girls have to work twice as hard to be viewed as even a fraction of good. And being one, I understand firsthand what it means and feels like. So often, I feel the pressure of having to over perform and overachieve to be accepted.

Video: Black women read letters of love to Columbus' Black girls

And in Columbus, with being as competitive as this city is in so many ways, there is an extreme lack of inclusivity, a lack that I have definitely felt before being introduced to Black Girl Rising.

Through this organization, I have understood the true meaning of diversity and learned the importance of finding inclusive spaces and to create inclusive spaces.

Letters: We must help Black girls jump hurdles. Make Indianola Avenue safer.

Toniyah Taylor, 17, Cristo Rey High School

'I’ve seen it grow worse over the years'

Dear community,

I have been living in Columbus for the past 17 years of my life and I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you if it’s gotten better or worse.

Growing up, my parents would try to shelter me from a lot of the bad things that would be going on around me, but the truth usually always finds a way to shed its light.

From a young age, I was very sheltered in my household.

My parents didn’t really like me going out. I wasn’t able to hang out with most of my friends, do a lot of things that they were allowed to do because my parents always told me, “It’s dangerous to be outside.”

Being young and naïve as I was, I didn’t think anything of it except they thought I was going to get kidnapped because I didn’t know anything else that would be more dangerous than that at my age.

Growing up, I’ve heard a lot more in the news, about people getting kidnapped, people getting beaten and people getting raped just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Especially in Columbus, I’ve seen it grow worse over the years. I used to think that this was a safe place, but growing up, it’s become much worse than it was when I was younger.

Being a Black girl in Columbus, especially, has been more on and off for me because one day it’ll be praise for you and the other day, it will be people neglecting you and degrading you just for being the way that you want to be.

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Because of this, I’m not sure how much I actually do like being here, but I always find a way to find the light of the situation.

Penda Seydy, 17, Cristo Rey High School

A Black girl is so dope

Dear community,

I think and I know that being a Black girl is so dope, so beautiful, so radiant, so luscious and so us.

But in the light and the world, where they don't accept you for who you are, it’s difficult when you see things that happen like the killing of Ma’Khia Bryant, and Black girls being neglected for being who they are. But also, in that sense of Black girls being radiant and resilient.

Loving our girls up: An open letter to Columbus' Black girls from Black women who love them

Dear community, I hope and expect you to start loving Black girls and seeing them for the way they are — as beautiful flowers and not just angry Black women because (they) are not women yet, but elegant because that is who we are — and being able to respect us for our dopeness and for us being different, and loving on us because we deserve to be loved just like anybody else.

Sincerely,

Aliya Horton, 21, Ohio State University

Amelia Robinson is the Columbus Dispatch's opinion and engagement editor

@1AmeliaRobinson on Twitter

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Opinion: Black girls letters to Columbus