Alicia Wormley 
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 11th as the International Day of the Girl, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
Saturday October 11, 2023, marked the 12th annual Chicago Day of The Girl and the city decided to celebrate this occasion by having their festival at the South Shore Cultural Center hosted by Girls Like Me Project, Inc. The event started at 10am and the girls were greeted with goodie tote bags and shirts. They opened the event with a speech about the event being a wellness oasis and all of the things they were offering including yoga, jump roping, journaling, and more. All the girls started off doing a centering exercise where they focused on their breathing and how to relax. Next, Black Girls Jump talked about how jump roping is about to become an Olympic sport and how they want to prepare young Black and Brown girls to be able to compete professionally.
We then heard from the founder of Girls Like Me Project, Inc, La’Kiesha Gray-Sewell, where she talked about the event and why it’s themed “I Am Destined.” She also talked about the importance of Black women sticking together and supporting each other no matter what. She encouraged the girls attending to make a friend outside of their group so that their Black girl magic can spread around.
Afterwards, the girls split up and were sent to do the activations that were planned. After about two hours of rotating and trying out all the activities, they eventually had lunch where the vibes were just amazing. Everyone was singing, dancing, showing off their best moves, and just having a good time.
The event concluded with a panel talk with the GLMPI’s founder and Englewood Barbie, a very prominent activist in Chicago. She spoke of her childhood, what she overcame growing up, and how despite not knowing what she would be doing with her life, she knew she would be someone. She also talked about wanting to see women stop the cattiness and learn how to move as one.
Sewell told True Star what she hoped the girls took away from the event. “I hope the girls take away that, being in Chicago, even though it’s filled with oppression, the city is one of the most segregated in the nation, sex trafficking is real, injustice is real, I hope that they know that in spite of that, they are still destined for greatness. In spite of that, people are creating safe spaces for them to thrive and heal. I hope that they walk away knowing that they are a part of a global sisterhood and that this world is ready and waiting for them to manifest all the greatness that they’re destined to be.”
Overall, I would say this event was a success. The girls were active and engaged the whole time with all the different activities. While Day of The Girl may be October 11th, the reasoning for this day is something people should carry with them long after the day is over. Be sure to sure to keep up with GLMPI by following them on Instagram.
By Alicia Wormley
Instagram: @aliciaw_26
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