Community celebrates ‘Joy & Justice’ with the Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium

By Matthew Young, Black By God

“There are organizations right here in your community that need investment, and that’s what we’re about. There are organizations right here in Charleston that are doing the work on behalf of girls and women.”

That’s what Chanceé Lundy said while speaking with BBG Saturday. Lundy, who serves as executive director of the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium, was in attendance at the North Charleston Rec Center for the 2026 Joy & Justice Tour. 

“The Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium itself is a funding organization,” Lundy explained. “We fund organizations that center Black girls and women in their work, but we also convene, and we want to make sure people are standing in communities together.”

“The Joy & Justice Tour is an opportunity to amplify the work of our partners – like the Aspire Achievement project that we work with in West Virginia – but also for us to be a community with each other,” Lundy added. 

As stated on their website, southernblackgirls.org, the Joy & Justice Tour sends the message that “Black girls don’t have to choose between celebration and liberation. Both are the strategy. Both are the mission. Both are coming to a city near you.”

Including Charleston, the nine-city tour has made stops in seven cities throughout the south thus far in 2026. The final two stops will be at the Earlewood Park Community Center in Columbia, South Carolina on Sept. 26, and Charlotte, North Carolina’s Ranson Middle School on Sept. 27. 

The tour is intended to create safe spaces which focus on “healing, empowerment, education, and opportunity.” The Charleston stop featured STEM-focused activities specifically tailored to younger attendees, as well as beauty and self-care opportunities. Attendees also had the chance to learn about the movement to abolish anti-hair discrimination through the Dove CROWN experience. 

“The turnout is pretty great,” Lundy said of Saturday’s attendance. “It gives people the opportunity to learn. We’re doing STEM, we’re talking about advocacy and justice, and we’re also having fun.”

“It’s also an opportunity to build community and connect with each other,” Lundy added.

In addition to the nine-city tour, the consortium is now accepting applications for the 2026 #BlackGirlJoyChallenge, where 100 winners will receive $550 to bring their powerful ideas for spreading joy to life. Girls and femme identifying youth who reside within the 13 Appalachian states and are between the ages of 13 and 24 are eligible to enter the contest. 

Participants can compete in one of the following categories: 

• Joy in Health & Wellness. Nutrition workshops, fitness clubs, wellness kits, community health events. 
• Joy in personal wellness. Vision board sessions, affirmation kits, gratitude clubs, confidence-building events.
• Joy Through Mental Health & Emotional Wellness. Healing circles, mindfulness workshops, peer support groups, resource kits.
• Joy Through Creative Expression & Arts. Murals, talent showcases, spoken word nights, podcasts, photo exhibits.
• Joy Through Physical Wellness & Recreation. Field days, Double Dutch clubs, yoga classes, hiking groups, family fitness events.

Your challenge must connect to the #BlackGirlJoy Challenge category you selected and show how your idea will create joy for yourself and others. For more information, including examples of how to spread joy, southernblackgirls.org/joychallenge. Two live information sessions about the contest will be held on Thursday, Aug. 27 and Tuesday, Sept. 1. Both are scheduled for 8 p.m., and will provide a walkthrough of the application. Time will be allotted for questions from participants. 

“If you’re interested in our organization, you can follow Southern Black Girls on all social media platforms, or go to our website, southernblackgirls.org,” Lundy said, adding that during the Richmond, Virginia stop on Aug. 21, Governor Abigail Spanberger declared the day “Southern Black Girls Day.”

“I want people to know that we are worthy of investment,” Lundy noted. “We are transforming communities. Organizations in your community now need funding and they need your hands – they need your time, your talent, and your treasure.”