LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It's through the power of hip hop that rising Lexington high school freshman, Javin Hausley, is expressing her lived experience as a Black woman in America.
She's channeling her message through "The Black Girl Project" which aims to amplify the voices of Black women.
Activist and hip-hop artist Devine Carama started it, and he said it was inspired by Black women like Amanda Gorman, Stacey Abrams, Breonna Taylor, and more.
"When it comes to the contributions and voices of Black women, when some of the inequities we see were highlighted in regard to health, COVID, who was on the front lines of the social unrest, it was Black women putting it on the line," Carama said. "And when you think back on our history, they've always put it on the line. Always. So, I wanted to do a project that highlighted black women. Period. Black girls growing and maturing into black women. The pressures that they feel. The double standards that they deal with."
Hausley shared the mic with five other young women to write and record an album as part of "The Black Girl Project". They also learned about the history of hip-hop culture, the progression of Black women in America, and leadership skills.
"In the whole group we all have a lot of stories and I hope we get a lot of other opportunities from doing the project," Hausley said.
Opportunities to share more of what it means to be a Black woman, a proud Black woman.
"Black girls." she said. "I think that they have a lot more to show and I don't want to be put to the side."
Rather, she said she wants to be uplifted. Herself, and others.
"This album, yes, it's about Black girls, but it's also about uplifting," she said. "It's about uplifting everybody."
All proceeds are going toward a nonprofit that supports women, which will be chosen at a later date.
To purchase the album and get a sneak peek of the songs, click here.
