My Black is Beautiful’s “Imagine a Future” Initiative Hosts “Girl Talk: Strength in Sisterhood” Workshops at UNCF Empower Me Tour

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--My Black is Beautiful (MBIB) announces the sponsorship of the 2013 United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Empower Me Tour (EMT), kicking off on October 6, as part of MBIB’s “Imagine a Future” initiative to touch the lives of one million black girls. MBIB will host “Girl Talk: Strength in Sisterhood” workshops at eight of the tour stops to spur insightful discussions that will empower and educate the participants (8^th grade – college freshman) to be their true best self by uplifting other young girls. In conjunction with UNCF, MBIB will also be awarding monetary scholarships to students amounting to a sum of $17,000.

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

“When we launched the ‘Imagine a Future’ initiative this summer, one of our goals was to provide resources to foster a greater sense of self and confidence within the next generation of young black girls,” said Verna Coleman-Hagler, Procter & Gamble, Brand Manager. “Our partnership with UNCF and the sponsorship of the Empower Me Tour, allows us to speak with these young girls about the challenges and realities of their lives, and provides solutions that will inspire them to connect with others. We want these girls to express their best and most beautiful selves and to build an even stronger community – for their future!”

The “Girl Talk: Strength in Sisterhood” workshops will be led by a panel of African-American media influencers. These women will engage the participants in a provocative discussion focusing on the epidemic of girl-on-girl bullying and black beauty insecurities, as well as examine images of black women in the media throughout time. With the use of personal stories, thought-provoking questions and vivid imagery, the panel will stress the importance of building strong sisterly bonds and empower participants to bring these lessons to their communities.

MBIB will be traveling with UNCF to a total of eight cities which include: Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Detroit, Hampton, Miami, Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles. At each of the tour stops, MBIB will select a local not-for profit/charity organization focused on empowering the lives of young girls and invite their young members to attend the discussions. Each of these carefully selected organizations will receive a MBIB sponsored UNCF scholarship in the amount of 1,000 dollars for one of their members. Book award scholarships will also be awarded to workshop participants and the extended online community via www.facebook.com/mbib.

“The Empower Me Tour was created to empower young people to take an active role in their future and we are so thrilled to have a partner like My Black is Beautiful,” said Dr. Michael Lomax, executive director, United Negro College Foundation. “We care about the future of our students and want to make sure they are prepared with not just academic tools, but with personal development resources as well. Coming together with My Black is Beautiful to create the ‘Girl Talk: Strength in Sisterhood’ workshop is a perfect addition to the Empower Me Tour.”

The MBIB campaign launched six years ago with the goal of fueling a national conversation about African-American beauty while encouraging women to become catalysts for change in their local communities. The campaign has proved successful in building an engaging online and offline community of black women that celebrate everything that makes them truly beautiful.

To learn more about the “Imagine a Future” initiative and MBIB activities, consumers are encouraged to visit: www.facebook.com/mbib. Consumers can also join the movement on Twitter @MBIBMovement.

About Procter and Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.4 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About UNCF (United Negro College Fund)
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. UNCF supports education through scholarships and other programs, by supporting its 38 member colleges and universities, and by advocating for the importance of minority education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. The UNCF logo features the torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.

About the Empower Me Tour
The UNCF Empower Me Tour was created to empower a movement among young people, motivating them toward academic excellence, personal and fiscal responsibility. The tour engages young people – at crucial life stages – transition from middle school to high school, high school to college and college to career. The UNCF Empower Me Tour offers age-appropriate workshops, panel discussions and other interactive activities focusing on six core areas that include: College Readiness, Financial Education, Professional Development/Career Readiness, Health & Wellness, Entrepreneurship, Service & Philanthropy.