From broken water fountains to proper school staffing, young women speak up to General Assembly

Lauren McCray and Khloe Atwood are just 11 years old. That didn’t stop them from traveling to the General Assembly in February alongside two other young girls with the help of Petersburg non-profit Pretty Purposed, where they spoke to lawmakers about underfunding issues affecting their schools.  

“Most of our milks and stuff are either expired or are going to be expired the next day, and our water fountains weren't turning on for like two years," said Atwood, who attends the fifth grade at Sunnyside Elementary School in Dinwiddie County.

McCray, a sixth-grade student at Petersburg’s Blandford Academy, spoke about similar issues at her school, in particular the need for better quality water and fresher food. The 11-year-old took it upon herself to test the water from the fountains at her school, which she said came back clean but tasted foul and was generally avoided by students. The school’s food, she told lawmakers, often tastes stale and is expired or about to expire.

The other two girls asked lawmakers to address similar problems at their schools and brought up personal experiences of sitting in their middle school classrooms without a teacher due to underfunding. All four girls emphasized the importance of fair funding for schools across the state regardless of neighborhood income level, and the need for healthier and better options for school lunches, working water fountains and adequate compensation and support for educators. They also brought up issues of insufficient staffing and structural, building-level concerns in public schools across the state. They don’t know whether the lawmakers will take their words to heart, but they showed up. They advocated. And they hope it’ll make a difference.

"Pretty Purposed made me want to help other people in the community," McCray told The Progress-Index. "It taught me that even if you're a kid, you can still have a voice and be heard."

Pretty Purposed turns talk into action for girls and young women

Pretty Purposed was founded by Bianca Myrick in 2014 during her time as a teacher in Petersburg. Her goal—and the non-profit's purpose—was to empower young women and girls between the ages of 9 to 18 through school and community-based programs. These programs would center health and wellness, social-emotional development and leadership skills.

Pretty Purposed started out with just seven girls in 2014. Now, it supports close to 200 girls across Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Sussex and Hopewell. Since 2019, Pretty Purposed has provided young women and girls with over 4,000 hours of mentorship. Many of them have been able to use the skills they've learned to do their own advocacy work in the community, including their advocacy work at the General Assembly.

This year's trip to the General Assembly was the second of its kind and the result of Pretty Purposed's partnership with Voices for Virginia's Children, an advocacy organization that champions public policy and legislation for Virginia's children and families. To prepare for the trip to the General Assembly, each girl participated in multiple workshops and trainings on advocacy work and also received one-on-one mentorship on public speaking.

"One thing that we try to do is expose our girls to leadership, social change service and advocacy opportunities, not just to increase their leadership skills but also to foster civic engagement," said Myrick. This was the goal behind sending the girls to the state Capitol, where they participated in a Fund Our Schools rally before speaking to lawmakers.

“My favorite part of the experience was getting to become a better me and to be able to speak up for myself," said Atwood. Both Atwood and McCray plan to go back to the General Assembly next year to continue speaking up for their communities and using their lived experiences to make a difference. Their parents, and Myrick, couldn't be prouder.