ASPSF’s Kerron Simpson joins council to expand representation of Black women

Kerron Simpson said she first began to understand the importance of representation and its important role in growing leaders while studying at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

“I am a Black woman who was born and raised in the Arkansas Delta where representation is limited but talent is bountiful,” Kerron said. “Just seeing African American students from all over the country and world [at UAPB] gave me a quick sense of pride. I had black maintenance workers, cafeteria workers, police officers, professors, administrators, and chancellor! Once you become a part of a community that looks like you and embraces you, your self-efficacy changes.”

As a program manager for Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund for three years, Kerron works hard every day to show single mothers and fathers in poverty they are not alone — that there are other single parents just like them, taking that leap of faith to create a better future for their families by working toward a postsecondary degree. Kerron herself is a single mother of a son and daughter.

Wanting to do more to support the empowerment of Black girls and women, she applied to become a member of the Wisdom Council with the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium. This organization consists of funders, activists, and community leaders across a dozen Southeastern states working to advance social movements for Black girls and women. Kerron was accepted into the council in February.

“The consortium is the type of organization that I would have like to have seen in Southern Arkansas during my childhood while navigating through an under-resourced community,” the Monticello native said. “By pouring into Black girls early, we will see the development of our future leaders.”

In fact, because Kerron’s daughter, Kennedy, is able to see more representation in society of Black culture — such as positive images of Black women on TV, African American dolls, books that depict the Black experience, and even a Black vice president — Kerron is motivated to expand these opportunities so all Black girls feel empowered.

“Because representation is happening, my daughter is on task to be whatever she puts her mind to, not because I told her she could, but because she knows she can,” said Kerron.

About a month after she was notified of her acceptance to the Wisdom Council, Kerron attended her first meeting March 8 and will spend the next year building a grant-making infrastructure to help create and support social change for Black girls. She said the virtual gathering of Black women from 12 states was unlike anything she had experienced.

“The vibe in that virtual meeting was that of comradery, collaboration, and sisterhood,” Kerron said. “The Wisdom Council wants to give ‘girlhood’ back to our girls. This is done by giving them the opportunities to be girls and not women.”

One way the organization is providing a space to embrace girlhood is through its #BlackGirlJoy campaign, Kerron said. In this program, Black girls, women, and gender-expansive youth between the ages of 12-24 can share how they spread joy among their communities and apply for a $550 award.

Kerron said she herself is overjoyed to represent Southern Arkansas on the council and help bring opportunities and resources to underserved communities because representation is imperative.

“In a multicultural, diverse, multifaceted society, it is extremely important to heighten the voices and share the stories of the girls who feel they haven’t been heard,” she said.  “I hope to be an inspiration to young black girls who aspire to become whatever they prepare to be.”