GIRLPowR

03/02/2025

See Ziggy Marley and Burning Spear - Do The Reggae Tour at the Astro Theater on Friday, October 10th.

06/07/2024

Congrats Dawn! Representing ✊🏽

Dawn Campos is the first woman to win this prestigious Lincoln Fire & Rescue award.

10/24/2023

💪🏽

10/11/2023

Happy International Day of the Girl Child, with love, gratitude and inspiration from GIRLPowR Nicaragua ❤️💪🏽

09/05/2023

💞 Remember, it’s your body & your choice!

Consent for s*xual activity

🫶 Must be freely given
🫶 Must be explicit
🫶 Must be specific for each act
🫶 Can be withdrawn at any time

No-one should pressure or coerce you into any s*xual act.

09/04/2023

In recognition of Labor Day, we're honoring labor rights pioneer and New Deal champion Frances Perkins -- who served as U.S. Secretary of Labor throughout President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four-term presidency. As one of the most trailblazing women in the history of the U.S. government, Perkins is largely responsible for many of the New Deal reforms including the creation of child labor laws, social security, unemployment insurance, and the federal minimum wage.

After attending Mount Holyoke College and Columbia University, Perkins became head of the New York Consumers League in 1910 and sought better working conditions and hours during a time when labor rights and factory safety standards were nearly nonexistent. The following year, she personally witnessed the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in which 146 garment workers -- most of them young girls and women -- perished. Many of victims jumped to their deaths out of windows because the doors and stairwells of the factory were locked.

Witnessing the fire and the large loss of life due to the absence of safety regulations was a pivotal event in Perkins' life. She soon joined the Committee on Safety of the City of New York. The work of this Committee and others led the 60 new state safety and labor regulations in the two years following the tragedy. In 1929, she became the New York State Commissioner of Labor; a role in which she worked to end child labor, reduced women's workweek to 48 hours, and championed other reforms including the creation of the first unemployment insurance laws.

In 1933, at the height of the Great Depression when unemployment had reached 25% nationwide, Roosevelt appointed Perkins as U.S. Labor Secretary, a position she held for twelve years. During this period, Perkins was the main force behind much pioneering legislation including the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps; the Public Works Administration; the Social Security Act; and the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established the 40-hour work week and the first minimum wages and overtime laws.

In addition to her tremendous legacy on behalf of American workers, Perkins was also a trailblazer for women as the first female Cabinet member. As she once stated: “The door might not be opened to a woman again for a long, long time, and I had a kind of duty to other women to walk in and sit down on the chair that was offered, and so establish the right of others long hence and far distant in geography to sit in the high seats.”

For a fantastic picture book biography about Frances Perkins, we highly recommend "The Only Woman In The Photo: Frances Perkins & Her New Deal for America" for ages 5 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-only-woman-in-the-photo

For an excellent biography for adult readers about this trailblazer, we recommend the excellent biography: "The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins" at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-woman-behind-the-new-deal

To introduce young readers 12 and up to this incredible role model, we also recommend "A Woman Unafraid: The Achievements Of Frances Perkins" at https://www.amightygirl.com/a-woman-unafraid

Frances Perkins is among the inspiring female leaders featured in the fun picture book "Isabella: Girl In Charge" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/isabella-girl-in-charge) and the fascinating book for ages 9 and up "Leading the Way: Women In Power" (https://www.amightygirl.com/leading-the-way)

For books for children and teens about the contributions of girls and women to the fight for workers' rights, check out our post "Fighting For Justice: 25 Books About Women and the Labor Movement" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=9881

And, for more inspiring stories of pioneering girls and women throughout history, you can sign-up for A Mighty Girl's free weekly email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter

08/03/2023

"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." -- Maggie Kuhn

Today in Mighty Girl history, Maggie Kuhn, social activist and founder of the Gray Panthers, was born in 1905. After being forced into retirement on her 65th birthday, Kuhn banded together with other retirees to form the Gray Panthers in 1970. The social action group focused on issues affecting older Americans including eliminating mandatory retirement ages, nursing home reform, and fighting ageism, as well as other pressing social issues such as poverty, peace and civil liberties.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Kuhn was engaged in social activism throughout her life. In the 1930s and 40s, she taught classes to women on a variety of issues and caused controversy by addressing topics related to human s*xuality including the mechanics of birth control, s*x, and pregnancy. During the 1950s and 60s, she worked for the Presbyterian Church and her visits to Presbyterian retirement homes first sparked her interest in issues affecting the elderly.

Through her work with the Gray Panthers, she countered the then-popular "disengagement theory," which argued old age involves a necessary separation from society, and often criticized nursing homes, calling them "glorified playpens." To provide an alternative model for elderly living, Kuhn founded the National Shared Housing Resource Center to help connect people interested in shared housing arrangements. Kuhn herself shared her home in Philadelphia with younger adults who paid lower rent in exchange for their help with chores and their companionship. She passed away at the age of 89 in 1995.

For two excellent resources to help tween and teen girls learn how to assert themselves with confidence and let their voices be heard, we highly recommend "A Smart Girl’s Guide to Knowing What to Say" for ages 9 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/a-smart-girl-s-guide-to-knowing-what-to-say) and "Express Yourself: A Teen Girl's Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are" for ages 12 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/express-yourself-guide)

To inspire children and teens with the true stories of girls and women who fought for change throughout history, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364

For many Mighty Girls, the closest relationship with seniors is with their grandparents -- to discover Mighty Girl stories that celebrate this special bond, check out our blog post "60 Books About Mighty Girls & Their Grandparents" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11781

For several uplifting picture books about kids who develop special friendships with elderly women in their neighborhoods, we recommend "Up the Mountain Path" (https://www.amightygirl.com/up-the-mountain-path), "The Girl and the Bicycle" (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-girl-and-the-bicycle), "I Know a Lady" (https://www.amightygirl.com/i-know-a-lady) - all for ages 4 to 8

05/29/2023

Many, many thanks to everyone who supported GIRLPowR Lincoln during Give to Lincoln Day 2023! You helped us raise nearly $1600 from 22+ donors and with match funds we hope to reach over $1700! Your contributions will support local summer or fall programs for girls. With gratitude and respect, The GIRLPowR Team ❤️
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05/23/2023

Empower💪🏽girls by encouraging exploration of their strengths, new pathways to their goals and dreams and building self-confidence to chart her distinctive life journey! Choose girls and donate to GIRLPowR on Give to Lincoln Day to invest in our future generation of leaders! Click here 👉 https://www.givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/girl-powr-inc

Thank you for supporting our community and girls 🫶🏾 LCF, sponsors and donors!!!

05/11/2023

Big appreciation for Wild Root Yoga cheering on and empowering girls in our community! Thank you for your support Wild Root Yoga !
Friends, THIS SUNDAY, May 14th join us at 10 am for some Yoga Flow and support GIRLPowR 💪🏽 Mom’s, treat yourselves to a peaceful hour focused on you!

Help GIRLPowR and enjoy yoga! Be sure to sign up to reserve your spot!

https://wildrootyoga.punchpass.com/classes/13100412