The Black Girl Tribe, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., has announced it was awarded a $100,000 grant from Nike’s Black Community Commitment Portfolio to fund programming benefiting Black girls.

“By having this grant, we are eliminating that burden. We're bringing Black coaches, Black athletes, to come in and actually talk to the girls about joining those sports, what it takes, the history of those sports so that it's not just, we’re throwing them out there to the wolves,” founder Gabrielle Martinez told WUSA 9. “We’re actually trying to give them everything they need to compete. and be athletes of the same level that other people are other demographics.”

The award will also support the nonprofit's expansion of athletic initiatives with the launch of Black Girls Just Do It. In an Instagram post last week, The Black Girl Tribe wrote that sports are healthy for the development and character building of young people.

“Through sports we learn to be competitive, but always play fair. To be inclusive, collaborative and respectful. We learn to be passionate about our own potential, and when we’re working together there’s no telling what we can do,” the organization wrote.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TRIBE Inc. (@theblackgirltribe)

The organization elaborated in the post, saying the Black Girls Just Do It initiative “will be dedicated to providing opportunities for Black Girls to explore the wide world of sports, enhancing their life skills and sisterhood. With pop-up events planned for Summer 2021 (with COVID restrictions), Black Girls ages 6-18 will be invited to explore a plethora of activities including yoga, mixed martial arts, soccer, and golf to name a few.”

Martinez, who grew up in the D.C. area, expressed that it was important to her to boldly support young Black girls. Now, The Black Girl Tribe encourages the participants to develop their own sense of individuality and to love themselves.

“There was nobody being unapologetic about their service to a Black girl. So, that’s what we wanted to do; we wanted to be the change we want to see in the world,” Martinez said.

Teenager Lucia Brisbane first joined The Black Girl Tribe four years ago and shared with WUSA 9 that it has been a transformative experience. Since she joined, the 15-year-old said she has grown her leadership ability, found a safe space to express herself and discovered a tribe full of new friends.

“Because it's a family. It's a sisterhood," Brisbane said. “If you're looking for sisterhood bond, if you need friends, a safe space to open up about things at home, or social issues, racial issues, if you feel the need to speak about injustice, you can always contact Miss Gabby.”

Gabrielle-Martinez

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week