2020 Gumbo Final - Book - Page 218
Black Women’s
Empowerment Initiative
Empowering black women across Baton Rouge for
college retention & profession development
BWEI was founded in Fall
2019 and introduced its first
cohort of 33 young women
in December 2019. The
organization was designed
to promote and advance the
well-being and status of black
college-educated women
on and around LSU’s Baton
Rouge campus. Through the
promotion of mentorship,
service, leadership and
academic success, BWEI strives
to help women in all aspects
of society but specifically in
areas such as college retention
and profession development.
BWEI received the LSU OMA
award for Best New Initiative:
Nubian Made and the LSU Love
Purple Live Gold Award for New
Organization of the Year.
The first spring 2020
semester event:
Nubian Made. A event
held in partnership
with the Black History
Month committee
to uplift, celebrate,
highlight, and promote
Black women and the
crowns on their heads.
Design: Catherine Carpenter
Photos: LSU BWEI & LSU BMLI
Some cohort members at a table sit in
free speech alley to promote their period
product drive for Baton Rouge students in
partnership with Power Pump Girls, Inc.
216
LSU BWEI Executive board and Graduate
advisor Ann-Marie Herod representing
LSU at the Southwestern Black Student
Leadership Conference at Texas A&M
University in January 2019.