Cinnamongirl family, we need your support! Donations are crucial for our girls to travel to new places, attend life-changing workshops, and make lasting connections with other talented, motivated Black and brown girls and women.

Our programs inspire girls ages nine and older to see themselves as trailblazers and community leaders through high school, into college, and beyond—but we need your help to continue our tradition of sisterhood and excellence. Please consider giving today!

It was September 15, 1963. Fourteen-year-old Carolyn Maull had just left the bathroom of her church in Birmingham, Alabama when a bomb exploded, killing four girls on the other side of the door. Fifty years later, she published a memoir of her experience, entitled As the World Watches: A Birmingham Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement.

 

On Sunday, October 18, Rev. Dr. Carolyn Maull McKinstry will speak with two of our Cinnamongirls about her experience, and about the heartless killings of Black girls in our country and around the world. Afterwards, all the girls will have an opportunity to ask questions and speak out about the injustice, the invisibility, and the heartache that comes with being a Black girl, and to discuss ways to come together to create a more just world for themselves and others.

 

Say Her Name: A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Carolyn McKinstry will take place on Sunday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). This free event will be open to the public; we ask viewers to support us with a donation of any amount.

Our Cinnamongirl scholars share an emotional moment with two civil rights icons. See the video for the story behind this photograph. left to right: Dr. Sybil Jordan-Hampton, Zaynab AbdulQuadir-Morris, Ms. Elizabeth Eckford, Ashley Hayes.

Two Cinnamongirl scholars, Ashley Hayes and Zaynab AbdulQuadir-Morris, received scholarships this spring to travel with the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco on a weeklong tour of several iconic locations of the Civil Rights Movement. The trip took place shortly after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and coincided with the murder of Breonna Taylor; Ashley and Zaynab describe the experience as painful, disorienting, jarring—and ultimately transformative. 

 

In August, they were invited by the Commonwealth Club to give a video presentation about their thoughts and experiences on the tour. In her presentation, Zaynab talks about working through her pain to rediscover “love, dreaming defiantly;” Ashley sums up her experience by saying, “I came to this experience with my guard up, reminding myself every hour of what I was taught when navigating the world as a Black woman: to protect myself mentally and emotionally. I took away an even wider lens of understanding how we should be working together to manifest the dream of freedom.”

 

Their testimony will move, challenge, and inspire you. 

This fall, Cinnamongirl proudly kicks off Phase II of the Write Your Story program! In Phase II, WYS participants will attend master classes taught by critically acclaimed authors and industry leaders. The girls will dive deep into topics such as the elements of storytelling, creating poetry and spoken word, and revision techniques.

In addition to taking these classes, our young writers will also pair with mentors who will not only help the girls hone their craft and nurture their creativity, but will also create a space for them to grow, learn, and thrive as sisters with online “sister chats”, poetry slam night, movie night, and cooking classes.

Our mentors come from a variety of professional backgrounds including animation, film, publishing, and higher education. We are all very excited to empower, inspire, and connect our Write Your Story participants in the coming months!

We're inspiring girls everywhere to lead, mentor, and be the changemakers in the room. Won't you please consider a gift of any amount. 85% of our funding comes from our amazing supporters.

When shopping Amazon, use this LINK and Amazon will donate a percent of your purchases to Cinnamongirl Inc. It’s a donation you initiate and nothing comes out of your wallet.

Teachers, we need your help! As educators you cross paths with future Cinnamongirls every day and that is why we are reaching out to YOU!

You can help us identify prospective Cinnamongirls who could use a platform like Cinnamongirl to support their dreams, help them develop their voice & be the leaders they were born to be.