About this Event
2026 Black Girl Rally: We Hold the Lens
Girls For A Change invites you to the 2026 Black Girl Rally on Friday, October 2, 2026, at The John Marshall Ballrooms in Richmond, Virginia.
This year’s theme, “We Hold the Lens: Black Girls, Black Women & the Responsibility to Tell Our Stories,” centers Black girls as filmmakers, documentarians, and historians of their own lives.
Before, during, and after traveling to Ghana, participants in our Her Journey Home program turned the cameras on themselves and one another. They documented their preparation, experiences, relationships, perspectives, and reflections—capturing what it meant to journey from Richmond to Ghana and return home changed.
Since returning, the girls have participated in an intensive filmmaking process, learning storytelling, editing, sound design, and post-production alongside filmmakers and industry professionals. Now, they are ready for the reveal.
At the 2026 Black Girl Rally, each participant will premiere her own original short documentary—created through her eyes and told in her voice.
The evening will also feature a powerful conversation about storytelling, representation, and our responsibility to preserve Black girls’ and Black women’s stories.
Evening Schedule- Doors Open @ 5:30 pm.
- 6:00 p.m. — Black Girl Rally begins
- 6:30 p.m. — Premiere of the girls’ original short films
- 7:45 p.m. — Featured conversation on storytelling, representation, and preserving our stories
- 8:15 p.m. — Closing celebration and community connection
This is more than a film screening. It is a homecoming, a celebration, and an invitation for our community to listen, learn, invest, and respond.
Come witness what happens when Black girls hold the lens, shape the narrative, and tell their own stories.
Don’t just watch. Rally.
A Special Screening of Superman Doesn’t Steal
We're excited to announce that Filmaker Tamika Lamison will join us for the Black Girl Rally! Experience the award-winning short film , written, directed, and produced by our featured guest, Tamika Lamison.
What to Expect:
- Fireside Chat with Todd Waldo of Shockoe Institute
- Screening of Superman Doesn't Steal
- All the energy and fun from Coach Nickey McMullen and Sistah Milani Hopkins
- Screening of Her Journey Home participant films
- Dinner provided by Homemades by Suzanne
We have volunteer opportunities available! .
Admission:
- $35 - Individual Tickets
- $60 - Two-Ticket Package
- Free for GFAC Participants
Donations are welcome to support Girls For A Change’s mission to prepare Black girls for the world and the world for Black girls.
Friends & Family Table - $750
Fill a table with supporters who are eager to sit with their budding documentarion. This option is for families and individuals closely connected with a participant who will be showing their film at the rally.
Interested in being a sponsor? .
Reach out to Dani Lewis: [email protected] or call (804) 405-2827
Event venue & nearby stays
John Marshall Ballrooms, 101 North 5th Street, Richmond, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.