SSP alumna Sakinah Sanders (Class of 1999), updated us on her progress with The HrlmGirl Project, a nonprofit focused on education by means of travel. By offering opportunities for cultural exchange, she hopes to provide travel experiences to students in Harlem and Atlanta.
Sakinah speaks to what drives her mission. “As a young woman who did not have this opportunity, it's important for me to try to give them this.” Check out our profile on Sakinah and The HrlmGirl Project from last year, when the organization first became incorporated.
Since its founding, the organization and Sakinah have grown. In January 2022, shortly after the forming of The HrlmGirl Project, Sakinah's mother passed away. Sakinah created The Passport Scholarship in honor of her mother. Veronica Adams, the woman whose legacy lives on through this scholarship, was a pre-kindergarten teacher dedicated to the mission of education. Sakinah says, “In the wake of all that happened with my mom, it made me realize that this is where my passion lies.”
The HrlmGirl Project has successfully run two prom dress giveaway events, one in Harlem and one in Atlanta. In total, they were able to provide their communities with 20 - 25 prom dresses. The organization also hosted a half-day retreat for middle school and high school women including yoga, vision board building, and peer-to-peer mentorship.
In October 2022, The HrlmGirl Project raised money for its largest trip yet: seven young women will travel to Colombia in June 2023. Four of the seven will be using a passport for the first time. Students will have the opportunity to experience travel and culture, as well as give back through community service. They will bring school supplies to young students in Colombia while learning cultural exchange practices. For the prom season of 2023, The HrlmGirl Project set up more prom dress giveaways in Harlem and Atlanta.
Sakinah says the most rewarding part of the work she does is seeing the direct effect that her program has on the young women. The variety of women who approach the organization for help heartens Sakinah as well. She says, “While classroom learning is important, so is the outside world.” The reciprocal nature of giving back is not lost on our alumna. Sakinah says, “I’m still learning as I go along,” and she pushes forth the importance of humility in positions of giving.
The more we discussed giving back, the more abundantly clear it was that there are generations of women before us and those in generations to come that each contribute to the betterment of one another. Sakinah says, "I talk to my daughter about it . . . I’ll often post about [these women] for Black History Month and Women’s History Month.” From mother to daughter, Sakinah shares the rippling change that occurs in communities when we acknowledge our own position and humbly listen to those around us. What keeps her going is, “always wanting to learn more and think out of the box in teaching.”
