While there might be the notion that young girls of color are making progress with the help of organizations such as Black Girls Rock! there is still much work to be done. The foundation sites that “over 60% of girls of color are born to families living on low incomes or below the poverty line.” But these aren’t the only challenges young girls of color face. It also highlights that “they’re also more likely to suffer child sexual abuse, be sexually harassed on the street and at school, and experience dating violence.” Once you start digging even deeper into intersectional identities including race, class, immigration status and sexual identity, the supported information is even more disheartening. The organization touches on how young girls of color are affected individually. “Black girls, for example, are six times more likely to be suspended in school than their white peers. Native American girls experience the highest rate of physical assault by an intimate partner. Twenty-two trans women and girls were murdered in 2015, with women and girls of color making up a disproportionate number of the victims.” It is these figures that prove that not only are organizations such as Buffett’s The Novo Foundation very much appreciated, but are of extreme necessity to help lessen the achievement gap amongst girls of color.
The Novo Foundation’s newly announced partnership is directly inline with their initiative Advancing Adolescent Girl’s Rights. The website highlights its goals as following: “We believe every girl is born empowered. Together, we can dismantle the structures that prevent a girl from exercising that power, leaving her without an education, vulnerable to violence, and lacking access to opportunity.” You can find out more information about The Novo Foundation and its new initiative here.
