Watch the livestream with your girl scholar, then join the Brown Butter virtual discussion this Sunday!
What does it mean to be beautiful? Popular? Accepted? And who gets to decide?
These aren't new questions. But for Black girls navigating predominantly white educational spaces, they can carry particular weight.
That's one reason School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, written by Jocelyn Bioh, feels like such a natural conversation starter for Brown Butter Collective.
Set in an elite girls' boarding school in Ghana, the play explores friendship, beauty standards, colorism, competition, and the desire to belong.
It's funny, sharp, and sometimes uncomfortable. Just the kind of storytelling that can open the door to meaningful reflection.
More Than a Play
At Brown Butter Collective, we're intentional about creating counter-experiences where Black girls can explore identity, build relationships, and celebrate who they are without feeling the need to shrink, explain, or compromise themselves.
The themes in School Girls remind us that belonging isn't simply about being included. It's about what happens when girls begin measuring their worth against standards they didn't create.
Who is considered beautiful? Whose voice carries influence? What happens when friendship becomes competition? And how do we help girls recognize their value beyond someone else's approval?
These are conversations worth having with our students, one another, and especially our girls in 6th-12th grades.
Let's Watch. And Then Let's Talk.
We're using this virtual theatrical experience to gather our girls (moms & caregivers welcome) to reflect on the messages girls receive about beauty, identity, friendship, and belonging.
Choose & watch a livestream before our 11.15 discussion
Not every character will make choices we agree with. Not every moment will be comfortable.
But perhaps that's where some of the most important conversations begin.
Because our girls deserve more than encouragement to fit in.
They deserve the freedom to become themselves.
Brown Butter Collective is an RIISE counter-initiative that celebrates, affirms, and uplifts Black girls in independent schools.