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‘It’s so empowering’: Fort Worth celebrates Day of the Girl with music, march

October 13,2023

See full Fort Worth Report article by Cristian ArguetaSoto here.

Girls Inc. participants laugh and hold signs at the International Day of the Girl March on Oct. 13, 2023, at Burnett Park Plaza in Fort Worth. Young Women’s Leadership Academy principal Rediesha Allen said students are empowered and assured at her school, but it was important to have them feel equally empowered and assured by the city and the community. “We are committed to … impacting their lives in an amazing way through education. Some people say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. We believe education is a girl's best friend,” Allen said. “We also take care of them socially, emotionally because our world can be cruel and special, we seek to care for their minds.” (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)

Sisters Lizbeth Maldonado, 20, and Jimena Maldonado, 18, emceed the Fort Worth Girls Inc. of Tarrant County’s Day of the Girl Celebration Oct. 13 at Burnett Park Plaza.

As Girls Inc. graduates, it felt surreal to be back as alumnae, they said.

“It was incredible to be able to come back as alumna and see all the different generations of girls all come together to be celebrated,” Jimena said. “It felt so empowering.”

Jimena became a Girls Inc. girl when she was in elementary school, she said. Her sister later joined when she was in middle school. Now, as Texas Christian University students, they continue to be active with Girls Inc., not only for themselves, but for younger girls.

Over 1,600 girls celebrated the International Day of the Girl, with the majority being from four school districts and 16 schools. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker proclaimed Oct. 13, 2023, as the Day of the Girl in Fort Worth.

They celebrated with school bands, dance teams and a march in support of the organization’s Girls Bill of Rights, a list of six rights all girls have.

Girls Inc. Girls Bill of Rights:

  • Girls have the right to be themselves and to resist gender stereotypes.
  • Girls have the right to express themselves with originality and enthusiasm.
  • Girls have the right to take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success.
  • Girls have the right to accept and appreciate their bodies.
  • Girls have the right to have confidence in themselves and be safe in the world.
  • Girls have the right to prepare for interesting work and economic independence.

Source: Girls Inc.

Lizbeth Maldonado, right, and Jimena Maldonado speak at the Girls Inc. International Day of the Girl celebration Oct. 13, 2023, at Burnett Park Plaza in downtown Fort Worth. The sisters are Texas Christian University business students and both attended Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School. While their college campus is predominantly white, they appreciate that women are a majority of the student body. “It’s nice to be in class and not feel out of place, at least in that sense,” Lizbeth said. “Even though I’m the only person of color, I don’t feel out of place because there are women in there.” (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
Juno Mobley, a sophomore at North Crowley High School, reads out a proclamation from the city of Fort Worth during the International Day of the Girl celebration and march Oct. 13, 2023, in downtown Fort Worth. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker accompanied Mobley on stage. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
A dance team leads a march for the International Day of the Girl around Burnett Park Plaza on Oct. 13, 2023, in downtown Fort Worth. About 1,600 girls from four school districts and 16 schools participate in the celebration and march, a spokesperson for Girls Inc. said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
Girls march and chant about girl power at the International Day of the Girl march and celebration on Oct. 13, 2023, in downtown Fort Worth. High school and middle school girls cheered alongside city officials and school administrators. Young Women’s Leadership Academy Principal Rediesha Allen was one of the school’s founding teachers in 2010, she said. The International Day of the Girl celebration is what she and the other founders envisioned for the school and the community — a total support of the girls from their communities and city. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
Celebrants hold Girls Inc signs at the International Day of the Girl March on Oct. 13, 2023, at Burnett Park Plaza in downtown Fort Worth. The march aimed to empower girls and bring them all together to show them they are strong, Girls Inc. alumna Lizbeth Maldonado said. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
A school administrator leads a chant at the International Day of the Girl March on Oct. 13, 2023, at Burnett Park Plaza in downtown Fort Worth. Girls kicked off the march by reciting the Girls Inc. Girls Bill of Rights, a document of six rights that girls have the right to do. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)

Although Jimena and Lizbeth are busy studying business at TCU, they will continue to find opportunities to come back and support Girls Inc., they said.

“I want to be there for the future generations of girls,” Jimena said. “These teachers have known me since I was a kid.”

Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by email or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.