What Young Women and Girls are Saying about HOTGIRLS

HOTGIRLS by Aria Byrd, Girls' Leadership Council member (2005-2007)

Helping Our Teen Girls In Real Life Situations (H.O.T.G.I.R.L.S) Inc. is a thriving, nonprofit organization located in metro Atlanta that notices the different obstacles black young women and girls go through.  Dr. Carla Stokes, founder of HOTGIRLS, feels that the issues pertaining to young women and girls of color have been overlooked and so normalized that it’s now becoming accepted by society.  Young girls of color go through issues with sexuality, street harassment, racism, body image, and being accepted in a world where they are the minority.  Even though some parents may be willing to listen, most girls aren’t willing to talk, and HOTGIRLS is a place where they can feel comfortable talking about their problems while being educated on world wide issues pertaining to them. 

One of the organizational purposes is to reflect the unique needs and interests of black young women and girls.  To effectively do this, Dr. Carla started the Girls' Leadership Council, a group of girls who range in age from 13-17. These young ladies help the organization appeal to the hip hop generation by giving their opinions and advising on issues that are important to youth today.  According to Dr. Carla, they help keep the organization current and creative.  They also develop leadership skills like teaching other youth about social justice issues and organizing and leading the annual HOTGIRLS teen summit

The purpose of the annual summit is to attract potential members and to educate young girls on sexual and reproductive health, street harassment, violence against young women, and media literacy. Each year there is a main theme that they focus on.  The theme for 2007 was “Upgrade You: Real talk for Real Girls”.  The issues that were addressed were street harassment and the epidemic of HIV/AIDS relating to young black women and girls.  “The summits are good ways to educate young girls on serious issues.  The fact that teens are educating teens makes a difference because they can relate to us more versus an adult”, says Jazzmyn Carter (former Girls’ Leadership Council member).

As HOTGIRLS continues to make a difference in the Atlanta community, in the future, we want to make an impact on the nation.  We will soon be launching the FIREGRL web site.  It will have relevant information directed primarily to girls and will hopefully inspire them to speak out about their lives and take action in their communities.  We will also be launching a national campaign to help uplift black girls and celebrate their diversity and accomplishments.