Are Black Beauty Standards Better About Inclusion?

Last week we shared with you how young, black girls can be ostracized and hurt by white beauty standards. Our society has normalized white beauty leaving little to no space for women of color. This doesn’t mean women of color have been quiet…not at all! There have been many movements created by women of color to celebrate their unique beauty. And we love all that self-love! Although we are creating space and change in society with these movements and with these ideas, we are still not perfect. Continue reading

White By Default Affects Our Girls

According to Beauty Redefined, “Images of white women dominate all media – especially roles or depictions featuring “beautiful” or desirable women, not funny sidekicks, the chunky best friend, the hired help or other stereotypes.” Continue reading

When Did You Stop Seeing Your Beauty?

According to CNN, it may be as young as 5 years. Starting at this young age, girls are becoming hyper aware of their bodies, more specifically, their “thinness”. By age 7, one in four girls have either restricted their eating or engaged in some form dieting to get closer to their ideal body weight. This is no longer a teenage problem. Continue reading

5 Reasons Why You Support Polished Pebbles

For the month of September, we encouraged you to donate to Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program. And we want to say, “THANK YOU!” It is because of supporters like you that we are able to provide our girls with enriching learning activities. While people have donated to Polished Pebbles for various reasons, we have here our top five reasons to support girls in your community! Continue reading

What Do Potus and Polished Pebbles Have in Common?

At Polished Pebbles we strive to teach our girls to fierce leaders by teaching them the skills of communication and professionalism. We hope to impart in them the belief that they are strong and capable. On September 19, President Obama echoed these thoughts. He brought national attention to the challenges faced by black woman and girls at the Congressional Black Caucus 45th Annual Phoenix Award Dinner. Continue reading

Let Your Light Shine!

Join us on September 17, 2015 as we honor our awardees and support Polished Pebbles at the Together She Will Shine Reception! Continue reading

Inside the Corporate World: Tamia Davis at ThoughtWorks

This summer, three of our Polished Pebbles had the opportunity to intern at ThoughtWorks. Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program strives to teach young girls professional communication, behavior, and dress to thrive in future work settings. An important part of that learning process is being in a professional work setting. These girls were able to apply their Polished Pebbles knowledge in the real world. We are proud of our young women! And we want them to share their experience with you. Continue reading

Tamia Davis: Inside Black Girls Lead!

Black Girls Rock hosted their annual Black Girls Lead Conference this summer in New York, NY. It is an international leadership conference for young, black women to “offer girls tools and resources to become leaders, innovate, and serve confidently”. With 65 girls present from the U.S.A., Ghana, South Africa, Canada, and the UK, we are excited to announce that one of our own pebbles attended the conference! Tamia Davis, Polished Pebbles mentee and current summer intern at ThoughtWorks, attended the four day leadership conference in New York. Big thank you to the Microsoft store in Oakbrook for fully funding Tamia Davis. She learned a lot about herself and greater society during those four days and has a lot to share with you! Continue reading

#WhatSheNeeds: College Mentors

#WhatSheNeeds asked our college women about mentors in college. We found that these women drew inspiration from friends, professors, sorority sisters, and even all the other women on campus. Similar to what Polished Pebbles has said about the importance of mentorship, these girls found that their mentors helped prepare them for college life and post-graduate life. Their mentors prepared them to be successful women! Continue reading

#WhatSheNeeds: The College Transition

#WhatSheNeeds explores the transition from high school to college. As Jasmine Hosley explained, you go from being “a high schooler dependent on your mama, to a college student still kind of dependent on your mama”. While high school is meant to prepare students for the academic rigors of college, a lot of freshman still struggle their first semester. Here’s what our young women had to say about their freshman transition. Continue reading