Lauren Carson
Founder, Black Girls Smile Inc.
Welcome to Black Girls Smile!
You may be a Black girl, or a parent or caregiver of a Black girl; you may even be a mental health professional, school counselor or coach that works with Black girls, or you could be none of the above, regardless you are a lucky individual that found our website!
Truth be told mental health is something we all have, and mental health difficulties impact EVERYONE’s life directly or indirectly! 1 in 4 people will experience mental health issues during their lifetime, however, young African American females experience and are susceptible to unique circumstances that increase vulnerability to mental health difficulties.
Black Girls Smile was founded to promote positive mental health for young Black females. Through BGS programs and initiatives, we are working to raise mental wellness awareness, promote mental wellness education, and encourage mental healthiness, all crucial initiatives to ensuring all black girls smile.
As the Founder of Black Girls Smile, I know firsthand how important it is to work toward smiling fully and wholly. At the age of 15, I was diagnosed with clinical depression, and I knew the only way for me to live a full and meaningful life was to focus on my mental wellbeing. However, on my journey to mental healthiness, I found an immense lack of racially sensitive and gender-responsive resources, coupled with lack of understanding and awareness within the African American community.
I vowed to make it my life’s work to ensure others did not experience the same difficulties and were provided the resources and support to lead mentally healthy lives.
We all owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to be well-informed and open to mental wellness so that we can help ourselves or someone else ensure that they smile fully and deeply.
Thank you for supporting our cause and movement, not only do we want every black girl to smile, we want everyone to smile.
In Wellness,
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Lauren Carson
Executive Director & Founder