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Black Feminist Collective

March 15, 2019March 15, 2019

Living at the Intersections of Anti-Black Racism and Queerphobia

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March 9, 2019March 16, 2019

Black Youth Have Been Combating Gun Violence for Generations

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February 15, 2019March 16, 2019

A Love Letter to Black Girls and Femmes

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February 8, 2019January 31, 2019

For Black Girls Who Are Tired, but Rest Isn’t Enough

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February 1, 2019February 24, 2019

An Open Essay to my Encounters with White Feminism

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January 25, 2019January 25, 2019

Reconstruction Over Reformation: The Argument Against Liberal Feminism’s Relevance in 2019

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January 22, 2019January 31, 2019

My Confessions | Kolby Whack

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January 18, 2019January 19, 2019

Masculinity Over Everything

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January 16, 2019January 16, 2019

Teach Black Children to Swim

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About

Black Feminist Collective is an intergenerational online collective of womanists ages 14 and up that advocate for the liberation of all Black folks. Submit an essay, poem or interview to Black Feminist Collective by clicking here!

The Founder and Editor-in-Chief

I’m Stephanie a 16 year old Black student activist, organizer and writer who advocates for womanism, diversity in STEAM, the abolition of youth prisons and gun violence prevention. In May of 2017, I decided to create Black Feminist Collective after creating a project called “Black HerStory Month” which was circulated by thousands of readers on across the internet.

I help other young people apply nonviolent conflict resolution with the Richmond Peace Education Center (RPEC), where I was given a platform to write spoken-word poetry in response to police brutality  and White feminism. After seeing one of my performances, I was invited by the Afrikana Independent Film Festival to volunteer as a youth ambassador at a screening of Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, where I met Black Panther and political activist Angela Davis. This poised me to be the youngest person to contribute to Black Youth Project, and the youngest speaker at the Virginia Prison Reform Rally.  I eventually organized my first march with RISE For Youth, a nonpartisan campaign who supports alternatives to youth incarceration.

After about six years of participating and mentoring in life-changing STEM programs for underrepresented communities, I started attending Girls Who Code clubs, where I was soon selected to travel to Atlanta for a coding immersion program at G.E. Not only did this change my life, but it also helped me give back to Black girls by launching Girls Who Code RVA. I became a Girls Who Code Alumni Ambassador and eventually won a national honor  from the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Being involved with RPEC led me to delivering a speech at March For Our Lives RVA, which gave me the opportunity to write articles for the ACLU of Virginia. I was then invited to the ACLU’s National Membership Conference, where I met and interviewed Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors.

My Portfolio & Features

My Expectations For the New RPD Chief - Justice And Reformation For Marcus-David Peters

Kids Demand Action - Style Weekly

"Younger isn't discouraged by the partisan stalemate. She doesn't seem discouraged by much of anything. She's been called divisive and confrontational for insisting that the conversation include race, and she identifies as a womanist because she says feminism excludes her and other girls and women of color."
- Laura Ingles, Style Weekly

We Need a Community of Inclusion in the Fight for Gender Equality - ACLU of Virginia

Women's March RVA

VCU Sculpture

"Super inspiring."
- Hamilton Glass

Havana Chapman-Edwards is the Student Activist We Need Right Now - The Melanin Diary

Black Girls and the Shootings That Don’t Make Major Mainstream News - Sesi Magazine

"You can find inspiration from other Black girls in the movement. A few of our faves: Stephanie is a student activist from Richmond, Virginia, who uses her blog and her connects with the Richmond Peace Education Center and the ACLU of Virginia to advocate for diversity in S.T.E.A.M., for the abolition of youth imprisonment, for the use of nonviolence as conflict resolution, and against gun violence.In a post on her blog Black Feminist Collective, Stephanie wrote, “The mainstream media’s abundant support for the students in Parkland and the minimal support for Black youth, who are affected by [gun violence] the most, is evident. This movement against gun violence has been deemed a ‘new wave of student activism’ when Black students have been rallying against gun violence for generations.”"
- Andréa Butler, Sesi Magazine

Schools Need to Guide Black Girls, not Criminalize Us - The Melanin Diary

Activism at 16: RVA Youth Lead the Way - RVA Mag

"Most 16-year-olds aren’t writing articles for the ACLU of Virginia, planning to help lead a parade centered around juvenile justice, or interviewing Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors."
- Brianna Scott, RVA Magazine

The Power in the Simplest of Actions - RVA Magazine

"At the beginning and end we heard speeches (one by my friend Stephanie), songs, raps, poetry, and freestyle dances, all of which went to support a bigger cause."
- Henry Haggard, RVA Magazine

Movie Review: The Hate U Give - Richmond Peace Education Center

Interview with Women and Politics WRIR 97.3 FM Richmond Independent Radio

https://theyoungblackfeminist.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/wap29-18.mp3

It is our responsibility as Virginians to direct attention to and put anti-black racism through police violence to an end. - ACLU of Virginia

"Stephanie Younger, a black student from Richmond, has been outspoken about police violence against black and brown people in today's America. The fatal shooting of Marcus-David Peters, a VCU graduate and biology teacher who was loved by his family, friends, and students, hit especially close to home and compelled her to reflect on the injustices done to marginalized communities by those whose job is to serve and protect."
- ACLU of Virginia

Youth Gather to Discuss Gun Violence - Richmond Peace Education Center

"Participants offered several unique insights on how gun violence impacts people from different places and backgrounds, and also the need to think about gun violence as an issue of racial equity as well. Stephanie Younger shared her reflections on the impact of gun violence as it pertains to race, “As a member of the Richmond Peace Education Center, I think it’s important to regard how black communities are disproportionately affected by gun violence, and how important it is to uplift their voices. We have a racist history of gun violence, and it’s our responsibility as Virginian’s to put this to an end.”"
- Joseph Blanton, Richmond Peace Education Center

I spent my 16th birthday at the ACLU National Membership Conference. It didn't disappoint. - ACLU of Virginia


"Stephanie Younger has been a wonderful contributor to our blog and an ardent advocate for racial justice. To thank her, we asked if she'd be interested in joining us at the ACLU National Membership Conference in D.C. last month. Here's her reflection on the experience:"
- ACLU Of Virginia

Black students deserve more inclusion in the conversation on gun violence that disproportionately affects them. - ACLU of Virginia

"I got to work with the city's coolest, most brilliant teens and young folks! We spent the day working with lawyers and advocates, using art to radically reimagine public safety in our schools. This awesome poster was made by Stephanie who is a member of Youth for Rise!"
- Mark Strandquist

Community forum on gun safety and violence set for May 5 - Richmond Free Press

Students organize 'Town Hall for our Lives" - NBC12

"I thought it would be a movement for keeping our schools safe, but it's not just that. It's helping our black communities and those disproportionately affected by gun violence," explained Stephanie Younger, a 15-year-old who works with the Richmond Peace Education Center. "It continues to happen to marginalized groups, and I want to uplift the voices of the black community who has been fighting for gun reform for generations."
- Jasmine Turner, NBC12

It's Important to Listen to Black Girls in the Fight Against Gun Violence - ACLU of Virginia

"Stephanie Younger, a young activist at the Richmond Peace Education Center ☮, shared with us why it's important to uplift the voices of Black girls in the fight against gun violence."
- ACLU of Virginia

Richmond students, community rally in the thousands for gun control - ABC 8News, NBC12, Richmond Free Press, Church Hill People's News

Speakers also emphasized the greater impact gun violence has on the African-American community, tying it to historical acts of violence against minorities. “How many more black families will be devastated by gun violence – threatened or killed by the people whose job it is to serve and protect?” Stephanie Younger, an activist with the Richmond Youth Peace Project, asked the crowd. “How many more times do my parents have to give me that talk explaining to me that I’m 10 times more likely to become a victim of gun violence because I am black?”
- Irena Schunn and George Copeland Jr., Capital News Service

Virginia Prison Reform Rally

An evening with Angela Davis inspired me to advocate for prison abolition for Black girls - Black Youth Project

Girls Who Code RVA

Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program Project Gallery

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas - Book review Richmond Youth Peace Project, HCPL TeenScene, YA x YA

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