OL Reign Legend: Jamila Coleman – Founder and Executive Director of You Grow Girl!
The Legends Campaign, a partnership between OL Reign and Starbucks, honors women for their extraordinary contributions to our community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Prior to the March 18 match against Portland Thorns FC, OL Reign recognized Jamila Coleman, the founder and executive director of You Grow Girl!, a nonprofit organization serving female-identifying youth and families throughout Washington State.
You Grow Girl! was founded in 2002 by Coleman, based on needs that Coleman identified in her community after working several different jobs in the community.
“I first started You Grow Girl! because it was something I saw that we needed in our community at that time. There are so many issues at an institutional level, and I felt like I could see those issues and work to break those down for girls,” said Coleman.
You Grow Girl! initially started with a vision to create a safe forum for girls in the foster care system to tackle their fears and insecurities, build self-confidence and be surrounded by peers and adults who are supportive.
Having experienced the foster care system herself, Coleman was well aware of the needs of girls and young women in that system and lack of resource available to these girls and women. Coleman identified the need to create a safe space for these youth to find empowerment, build confidence and amplify leadership skills.
“I tell all of the young ladies to dream big. Don’t let anyone say that you can’t do it. If people aren’t your cheerleaders, then don’t mess with them! That is exactly why You Grow Girl! exists. We are their cheerleaders, their advocates, their system modifiers.”
Almost 19 years later, the work at You Grow Girl! has evolved and is rooted in the deep belief that girls from chronically under-resourced populations, especially girls of color, must be accepted for their authentic selves and supported by a community of true allies and accomplices who amplifies gender, economic, and racial justice.
“I am here to be an adult mentor and ally for these girls. They are all youth from the community that are experiencing the impact of broken systems,” said Coleman.
“Sometimes, they will come to me and tell me that their school district isn’t listening to them, or the city council won’t listen to them, so I will pull up in my You Grow Girl! van and take them to that district meeting.”
“When we are at those meetings, people always ask me what I want to say and every time I have to tell them that I am not here to say anything. These ladies, these youth, are here to speak. They are the ones that the district, or whoever it may be, is doing a disservice to. I just give these young ladies access to the platform, but they lead the charge.”
One of You Grow Girl!’s main goals is to empower youth to become leaders to promote economic equity and opportunity for not only themselves but other sisters throughout Washington State, and beyond. In order to do this, Coleman and You Grow Girl! really hone in on developing the leadership skills of the youth they work with.
“I tell every one of my girls that they possess natural leadership abilities. Even though society may not always look at them in a positive light, they have those skills. Or being real, sometimes we don’t always know how to use our leadership skills in a positive way. So at You Grow Girl!, we encourage them to use those leadership abilities in a positive way. We make it clear that it we all are leaders, we just need leadership opportunities.”
These leadership skills are reflected well in the You Grow Girl! organization. Their management team is made up of women all referred to as “boss ladies.”
“Society already looks at this demographic of women as being too loud, too aggressive, too rowdy and too bossy. Little do they know, we pride ourselves on being bossy. I tell them to kick doors down! Keep making noise until your voice is heard. We tell them to be authentic to yourself, but also be respectful,” said Coleman.
Coleman’s work is also based around educational research she has done, found onBlackgirlism.org. This research directly collects stories of Black girl’s and Black women’s experiences of going through different societal institutions. This research asks these Black girls and women directly what they need to best identify how to provide support.
An important part of You Grow Girl!’s mission is to provide a pathway towards sustained success, not just temporary help, so it’s important to have that idea reflected in the way that the organization supports these youth, but also the way that allies support the organization.
“It’s not as simple as a one time invest, you know? We need allies to work with us to truly invest in this population of girls and women of color. We need to work to truly dismantle these systems. It is not a one-time thing.”
When asked about being honored as an OL Reign Legend, Coleman expressed her excitement and gratitude.
“OL Reign has a platform and they are using it. As a woman of color, when I look at what the team is doing, I view that as authentic allyship. That is real, unapologetic accomplices. We need those allies, those accomplices to ride with us to correct the systems that are failing us.”
Though Coleman was excited to be out at OL Reign’s match on Friday, it is important to her that everyone knows that she is just the face of You Grow Girl! and there are countless others doing this work.
“It’s inspiring to be honored as an OL Reign Legend. I use the word inspire because that’s the mission at You Grow Girl! – to inspire a pathway for sustainable success. I can’t do that alone. I can’t take all of the credit. I might be the one to raise the flag at the game, but I’m doing that for the sisterhood. By recognizing me and You Grow Girl!, OL Reign and Starbucks are amplifying the sisterhood. We’ve been doing this for a long time and just now getting the recognition. I like to say that you guys are making the invisible, visible.”
Learn more about You Grow Girl! by visiting their website here.