Building Beautiful Futures

Building Beautiful Futures

By: Janae Hudson

Dark & Lovely, founded in 1972, was designed with Black women and their hair in mind. From bold and colorful hair dyes to natural hair care essentials, Dark & Lovely has always found innovative ways to uplift Black women. In honor of the brand’s 50th anniversary, Dark & Lovely has partnered with Washington D.C.-based organization College Gurl Foundation to award Black female college students with $750 book scholarships, networking opportunities and more as an extension of its Building Beautiful Futures initiative.

Through this initiative, Dark & Lovely not only acknowledges its main consumers, but also addresses the hardships that Black college women face. College education has undoubtedly become more expensive and Black women suffer financially due to lack of resources, wealth gaps and other disparities. Shockingly, Black women graduate with an average of $37,558 in student debt, according to a study conducted by the American Association of University Women. By providing scholarships, the College Gurl Foundation and Dark & Lovely is once again supporting Black women and their dreams. Over 1,200 Black college women will receive these scholarships over the next four years. 

With the Building Beautiful Futures initiative, Dark & Lovely strives to not only provide financial support, but also provide Black college women with career coaching, mentorship and other networking opportunities. Quarterly webinars hosted by successful Black women will detail different methods that college women can utilize to craft their futures. Political commentator, Symone Sanders, beauty expert, Blake Newby, and Dark & Lovely Marketing Director, Tenaj Ferguson, led the first round of discussions. Building Beautiful Futures’ ambassador, actress Storm Reid, also provides tips for Black college women while she also navigates her undergraduate journey.

It’s no doubt that Building Beautiful Futures will live up to its name. Career and educational equity lacks severely and negatively impacts Black women. By alleviating financial burdens and creating strong foundations for Black women, Dark & Lovely is once again showing love to the crowd it was meant for.

If you or someone you know are a Black woman working towards an undergraduate degree, The College Gurl Foundation and Dark & Lovely’s Building Beautiful Futures scholarship could benefit you. Apply using this link by November 30, 2022. Recipients will be announced December 17, 2022.  

Link: https://www.collegegurlfoundation.org/building-beautiful-futures-scholarship.html