Mentee Kayla Dudley Writes About Fostering a “Sanctuary” in the Girls Write Now Black Affinity Group
Girls Write Now is dedicated to supporting our endlessly diverse community of mentors, mentees, members, and volunteers.
In the Fall of 2024, and with the guidance of our Fellows and mentee alum, we started mentees-only Affinity Groups out of our dedication for creating youth-led experiences. It’s important that our young people have spaces where they can discuss self-identified topics, leading to self-discovery, group advocacy, and a sense of belonging.
Mentee Kayla Dudley, who led the Black Affinity Group during the Fall 2024 Cycle, wrote a beautiful reflection on her experience as a facilitator. In this poem, she evokes the feelings of safety, love, empowerment, and liberation that the group’s participants built together.
Where We Gather
this is where we gather–
where our laughter sounds like home,
where our voices weave histories
too rich to be erased.
they call it a Black affinity group,
but i call it a sanctuary.
a circle where my name is spoken whole,
where my curls don’t shrink under stares,
where my slang don’t get side-eyed–
just gets understood.
this is where a Black girls finds air,
deep breaths not stolen by silence,
not stifled by the weight of proving,
just breathing—fully, freely, finally.
this is where we unlearn whispers,
where too loud is just a passion unshackled,
Where too much is just power unchained,
where anger is just love, raw and relentless,
demanding space in a world that swears we take too much.
this is where we pass down survival,
like grandmothers braiding wisdom into roots, like big sisters handing off blueprints
to walk through doors they once had to break.
here, we say each other’s names with reverence,
like scripture, like protest, like poetry.
here, we remind each other:
you are not alone,
you are not a lesson plan,
you are not a trend.
you are legacy, unfolding.
you are history, still being written.
and this space—
this sacred, Black, belonging— it is ours.
and it means everything.
Kayla aka KayTheePoet is a poet, activist, and emerging scholar committed to using creative expression as a tool for social change. She has been writing poetry since 11, focusing on themes of identity, justice, and resistance. She aspires to pursue a master’s in creative writing, a law degree to become a civil rights attorney, and a PhD in Africana Studies with a concentration in poetry.