With confirmed stops planned in Atlanta, Little Rock, Jackson and more, the month-long caravan will culminate in Birmingham September 16-17 for the 2022 Black Girls Dream Conference.
Megan Thee Stallion
The Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium (Southern Black Girls) has announced that they have partnered with the Pete and Thomas Foundation as a community partner for the inaugural Joy is our Journey Dream Bus Tour! The highly anticipated, month-long caravan kicked off in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, August 20, and will continue through Elaine, AR (8/27); Little Rock, AR (8/28); Wilcox County, AL (9/10); Livingston, AL (9/10); Jackson, MS (9/11); Houston, TX (9/13); and will culminate in Birmingham, AL at the 2022 Black Girls Dream Conference, Friday, September 16 through Saturday, September 17.
Grammy award-winning musician, entrepreneur and philanthropist Megan Thee Stallion founded The Pete and Thomas Foundation in February 2022 to uplift and assist women, children, senior citizens and underserved communities in Houston, Texas and across the world. The non-profit organization’s areas of focus are in the fields of education, housing, and health and wellness. Those areas align with the intentions and activations of the Joy is our Journey Dream Bus Tour, and their support will help to amplify the experience and bring joy to Black girls and women in each tour city, as well as expand their footprint into Texas.
“I’m really excited to have The Pete and Thomas Foundation partner with the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium on this special initiative,” Megan said. “We both share the same goals – to empower our young Black women, give them the resources to succeed and help them pursue their personal and professional dreams.”
“We are super excited to partner with The Pete and Thomas Foundation,” added LaTosha Brown, visionary founder of Southern Black Girls and co-founder of Black Voters Matter. “Megan is the ultimate Southern Black Girl. She is an entertainer, an artist, and a creative, who masterfully balances being a hot girl, a college girl and a businesswoman, and she certainly embodies the unapologetic spirit of our organization. Our partnership with The Pete and Thomas Foundation adds fuel to the mission of the Joy is our Journey tour, which is to connect with Black girls and young women throughout the south and create safe spaces to celebrate unlimited, unabashed Black girl joy. There is so much in store, and we look forward to all the great work we will do together. This just the beginning.”
The Joy is our Journey Dream Bus Tour is FREE, open to the public and specifically designed for Black girls, young women and gender-expansive youth, between the ages of 12-24, as a safe space to connect and exhale. Considered a mini-festival like experience, each tour stop will host an exciting Dream Village event that will feature interactive workshops and programming centered around mental health and wellness, beauty, arts and culture, entrepreneurship, S.T.E.M. and dream-building. In partnership with local community organizations, each event will be held outdoors and will also feature music, food trucks, game stations, swag bags, giveaways and more!
Please find the remaining dates, cities, locations, partners and respective registration links below:
8/27 – ELAINE, AR
Location: Historical Elaine High School – 100 College Street, Elaine, AR 72333
Time: 10am. – 12pm CDT
Community Partner: Datule’ Artist Collective
Register Here: https://JoyElaine.eventbrite.com
Sunday, 8/28 – LITTLE ROCK, AR
Location: St. Andrews United Methodist Church – 4600 Baseline Rd, Little Rock, AR 72209
Time: 3pm – 6pm CDT
Community Partner: Datule’ Artist Collective
Register Here: https://JoyLittleRock.eventbrite.com
Saturday, 9/9 – SELMA, AL
Location: TBD
Time: TBD
Community Partner:
Register Here: https://JoySelma.eventbrite.com
Saturday, 9/10 – WILCOX COUNTY, AL
Location: Bessie Munden Recreational Park – 194 Bessie Munden Road, Camden, AL 36726
Time: 10am – 1pm CDT
Community Partner: Bama Kids
Register Here: https://JoyWilcox.eventbrite.com
Saturday, 9/10 – LIVINGSTON, AL
Location: Jaycee Park – Hopkins Street, Livingston, AL 35470
Time: 3pm – 5pm CDT
Community Partner: Black Belt Community Foundation
Register Here: https://JoyLivingston.eventbrite.com
Sunday, 9/11 – JACKSON, MS
Location: Smith Park – 302 East Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201
Time: 1pm – 4pm CDT
Community Partner: Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative
Register Here: https://JoyJackson.eventbrite.com
Tuesday, 9/13 – HOUSTON, TX
Location: Texas Southern University
Time: TBD
Community Partner: The Pete and Thomas Foundation
Register Here: https://JoyHouston.eventbrite.com
Saturday, 9/17 – BIRMINGHAM, AL
Location: Kelly Ingram Park – 500 17th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203
Time: 11am – 2pm CDT
Community Partner: Alabama Black Women’s Roundtable
Register Here: https://JoyBirmingham.eventbrite.com
The Joy is our Journey Dream Bus Tour will culminate with the 2022 Black Girls Dream Conference, which will take place in Birmingham, AL, Friday, September 16 – Saturday, September 17.
For more information on the work and impact of the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium, visit www.SouthernBlackGirls.org, or follow @SouthernBlackGirls on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.