(Pictured bottom row: Cinnamongirl Mentor & Travel Curator, Lena Jennings, Author Christine Platt, Smithsonian Under Secretary of Education, Monique Chism, PhD, Cinnamongirl Founder & ED , Renée Richard; Above left to right: Cinnamongirl Travel Organizer, Brenda Love, Cinnamongirls Olivia B, Assata A., Cinnamongirl  Mentor & Travel Curator, Tiffany Blake, Cinnamongirls Jolie W, Riley G. Kamiyah S. Mariah M.  &  Cinnamongirl Donor Deborah Santana.)

Our seven Travelgirls, ages thirteen to seventeen, arrived in DC expecting a trip perhaps similar to one that many schools bring their students on. Those expectations changed on Monday morning when we met the Smithsonian’s Undersecretary, Dr. Monique Chism, who introduced to us Dr. Felicia Bell, Senior Advisor to the Director of the American History Museum. Dr. Bell gave a riveting talk, during which she shared the story of the path she took to her current position—a path which included constant rejection in college and graduate school. At the end of the talk, Cinnamongirl Mentor and Travel Curator, Lena Jennings asked, “What does “a life of greatness’ look like to you?” Dr. Bell’s answer set the tone for the rest of our trip. To hear what she said, click here.

 

We got to meet Senator Cory Booker and Congressman Eric Swalwell, who each shared their commitment to public service and their belief that love will prevail over hate. Congressman Swalwell told a heartfelt story that everyone should hear, and Senator Booker told a story about the importance of self care that resonated deeply with all of us. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi also met our girls and even took time to learn about our Write Your Story cohort. Finally, we met several Black women leaders, including author, environmentalist and social justice advocate Christine Platt, who urged us to respect our work, our many roles as females, and our highest dreams. To read more about our trip, click here.

Our Cinnamongirls will interview award-winning and bestselling authors such as Brandon Hobson, Brian Young, Misa Sugiura, Claribel Ortega, Alexandra Overy, Claire Kann, Marie Lu, Melissa De la Cruz, Randy Ribay, and many, many more. Our Write Your Story cohort will talk about the inspiration and process behind their forthcoming 2023 edition of I Am the Change: Voices of a New Generation. Click here to see the Cinnamongirls’ festival schedule!

Japan is a nation of contrasts: zen meditation, computer games, anime, and kabuki theater are all quintessentially Japanese. We ourselves hope to immerse our girls in cultural experiences such as tea ceremony, a guided tour of Tokyo’s “tech town,” Akihabara, and a cooking class—but as these are “extras,” we need your help to be able to offer them. Help our girls experience Japan to the fullest by donating here!

Congratulations to Write Your Story writing coaches Shawnee and Shawnelle Gibbs, whose work is featured in Marvel Comics’ anthology, Women of Marvel. Shawnee and Shawnelle created a thrilling story featuring two heroines, Photon and Mrs. Marvel, who team up to battle an enemy in New Orleans. “[It] affirms the power of women working together,” Shawnee says.

The older cohort read Almost American Girl, a graphic novel memoir written and illustrated by Robin Ha, about a teenage Korean girl whose single mom moves the two of them to Huntsville, Alabama, and then gets married. Feeling isolated and furious with her mother, Robin struggles to find a place for herself in her new school and her new family, eventually finding hope and salvation in a comic drawing class.

 

In March, our younger cohort enjoyed reading and discussing Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, about a well-to-do young girl in 1930s Mexico who is forced by tragic circumstances to move to California with her family and become a farm worker. She struggles and rises above poverty and racism. Next up: Momo Arashima Steasl the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura.

In March, Erica Varize, Executive Director of BayGanda Foundation and the owner of Sew What Sewing Camp addressed our Entrepreneurgirls. They learned that a business must not only adapt to the customer’s needs and demands, but also to the needs and personal growth of the owner; for example, Erica’s own fashion retail store, EVarize, morphed into an award-winning sewing camp.  Currently, Erica incorporates her sewing camp with the BayGanda Foundation, teaching sewing and life skills to children in Uganda.

Just because a book has pictures and is easy to read doesn’t mean it’s not a real book. Graphic novels are exciting, informative, beautifully written, deep, and meaningful. Read one today!

 

Women of Marvel by Shawnee and Shawnelle Gibbs, et al. An anthology of Marvel’s superheroine stories written and illustrated by a diverse team of authors and artists, published to celebrate Women’s History Month. Featuring characters like She-Hulk, America Chavez, Photon, Silk, Mrs. Marvel, and more. 

 

Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith. Hollywood and the publishing industry have consistently ignored the existence of non-white people in this part of America’s history; Smith’s books reminds us that Black people played a key role. This book tells the stories of Mary Fields, a.k.a. “Stagecoach Mary,” Bass Reeves, the first Black Deputy Marshall west of the Mississippi, and horseman Bob Lemmons. Ages 7 and up.

 

Pashmina written and illustrated by Nidhi Chanani. Priyanka Das knows almost nothing about her family’s past in India, and her mother refuses to tell her. When Pri finds an old pashiman shawl in a trunk, she puts it on and it transports her to a beautiful, colorful India that she’s always dreamed of. But is it real? And what is that shadow lurking in the background? Ages 10 and up.

 

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. Beautiful, charming, sweet Laura Dean is Freddy’s new girlfriend–only she may not be quite as great for Freddy as she seems. As their on-again-off-again romance begins to cause Freddy’s friends to leave, Freddy must decide which relationship she values and who is really the problem. Ages 12 and up.

 

Nimona written and illustrated by ND Stevenson. Nimona is a shapeshifter with a penchant for villainy; Lord Ballister Blackhart is a villain with a vendetta. Together, they set out to prove that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and the folks at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics are not the heroes that everyone thinks they are. Definitely check out this National Book Award Finalist, which is being adapted for film by Netflix. Ages 12 and up.