June 8-9, the Atlanta Convention Center was packed with young professionals and notable women from various industries who united to celebrate changes in habits and creating a new lifestyle. These phenomenal women of color included Brittany Packnett, Natasha Murphy, and Ashley Blaine Featherson. They discussed their superpowers and purpose in life while at Summit 21 hosted by Blavity.
Natasha Murphy, deputy director of Advocacy for Black Girls Vote, shared the purpose of the organization.
“Black Girls Vote is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to educate, engage, and empower women of color ages 18-29 to use our collective voice as our voting power to demand a policy that will better Black communities,” Murphy said.
The organization was founded in 2015 by Nykidra “Nyki” Robinson in response to issues she witnessed in her community.
Hoping to cultivate and inform a voting block of Black women to make sure they’re well versed on issues, Murphy hopes Black Girls Vote can improve voter registration, education, healthcare, and economic development.
Murphy’s superpower is synthesizing information very quickly and being able to inform the masses using meaningful information they can act on.
Women in politics wasn’t the only topic of discussion at Summit 21; there were impactful leaders such as Brittany Packnett, who is at the intersection of culture and justice. She is the co-founder of Campaign Zero, a policy platform that plays a vital role in the lives of Black people by helping end police violence.
“Campaign Zero was created to empower people with the tools to free themselves,” Packnett said.
Wanting to make communities safe from any sources that wish to oppress people of color, Campaign Zero has ten policy solutions that will limit police interventions, improve their interactions with people of color, and ensure that they are held accountable.
Packnett is also the vice president of National Community Alliances for Teach For America.
“We’re one of the single providers of teachers of color across the country. It’s critical that we give students role models that inspire them inside and outside of the classroom, so they have access to equal and excellent education,” she said.
Deeply committed to culturally responsive teaching and awareness of mental illness, Packnett has a knack for helping people seek their truth and justice in their community.
For those struggling to find their superpower or purpose in life, Dear White People’s very own Ashley Blaine Featherson let people know that you must differentiate between passion and purpose to reach your full potential.
“My purpose is why I was sent here. It’s something I have to do, a mission I have to fulfill. The purpose is something you have no choice in, but passion is something you have a choice in,” Featherson said.
While one may have passion and purpose that align, some may have to separate the two to unleash their superpower.
Summit 21 was a testament to women realizing and unleashing their purpose in life.
