Black History Today: Monika Mathews, mentoring and empowering Young Queens

Black History Today: Monika Mathews, mentoring and empowering Young Queens

Monika Mathews is the founder of QueenCare in Columbia City, but QueenCare is more than just a skin-care shop. It is a training ground for future entrepreneurs. They are the Young Queens, trained and mentored by Monika as part of a personal development program. The program teaches middle and high school students of color about self-care, entrepreneurship, and a variety of life skills. The girls participate in a series of business workshops aimed at building economic empowerment, and they create, market, and sell skin-care products, which they sold at community markets until the QueenCare store opened in December 2018.

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Black History Today: Melba Ayco, artistic director and mentor

Black History Today: Melba Ayco, artistic director and mentor

The longer you serve children in a community, the smaller the world seems to become. Eventually you start to hear certain people mentioned over and over — the after-school counselors, the coaches, the neighborhood-parents. The mentors who’ve made an impact connecting with those around them. Ms. Melba Ayco is one of those people.

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Black History Today: Melanie Granger, creating space for play

When you’re a parent to Black children, finding a place for them to run free is about more than just a place where they can get their wiggles out. It is about finding a space where they are free to be young. To be loud, messy, silly and energetic, safe from judgment and bias. Melanie Granger of We Free Hearts has provided an environment for just that.

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