I saw Carla speak at a conference in Illinois where she presented on the images of women in hip-hop and her program HOTGIRLS. I thought the concept of her organization was really positive and a progressive intervention for girls.…No pun intended, but I think Carla’s program HOTGIRLS is hot! It is a much-needed program for teen girls of color. I think that Carla Stokes is a woman who understands what girls go through on a daily basis and she is providing much needed progressive female leadership. She’s dope. She is very intelligent and eloquent about the issues she addresses. I am honored to know Carla and believe that the work that she is doing is very important and relevant to the lives of so many girls. I hope that more people, particularly foundations support her and the organization, because I see it as an effective model to help young girls and woman navigate through a hostile, and sexist culture. - Byron Hurt, Award-winning documentary filmmaker, published writer, and anti-sexist activist
Carla Stokes is an outstanding and dedicated educator and coach especially in the realm of empowering young women and girls to improve their health and quality of life and to gain the health literacy and leadership skills necessary to positively impact their futures. As a founding member of the H.O.T.G.I.R.L.S. Board of Directors, I have seen Carla work countless hours and make significant financial sacrifices to invest her time, energy, talent, and gifts into the organization’s highly successful grassroots efforts. As one who has stood up for the welfare of black young women and girls in Atlanta and across the country, Carla is a pioneer and “unmatched one-woman phenomenon”. Carla’s hard work, commitment, and amazing progress in cultivating a new generation of empowered young women and girl leaders is a true inspiration! – Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, National Coordinator for Community-Based Programs, National Wildlife Federation
“Dr. Stokes, I am a Kappa Omega Finishing School Mentor and a retired school administrator. I was present at the self-esteem workshop you facilitated for the mentees. I was very impressed with your presentation and the level of engagement of the girls. I observed their attention, interest, and participation in the interactive activities that required them to reflect on their thinking and their beliefs about themselves. I know that the girls left with a sense of pride and more confidence in themselves. I think that these types of workshops should be done in all schools and organizations that address the social and emotional development of girls.” - Linda Thompson, Ph.D., Kappa Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
“I just wanted to let you know that I appreciated your presentation to my young girls. It was informative and worthwhile and the students enjoyed it as well” - Amina Ross, Counselor, Business and Entrepreneurship Academy, Benjamin E. Mays High School, Atlanta, GA
“The discussions were very helpful, important, interactive, and informative”
“This is a great and important topic to talk about. All of the information was interesting and helped me have a greater understanding of hip hop culture.”
“The Using Hip Hop to Empower Young Women workshop was enlightening and helped me, as a Youth Specialist, come up with strategies to reach and teach my girls.” - Quan, Youth Specialist, Housing Opportunities for Women
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