‘This is Black girl magic’: Washington Rhinestone Club honors legacy, academically minded debutantes at annual ball
The Washington Rhinestone Club was formed in 1952 when founder Naomi Murray realized that Black women in Seattle were not taking advantage of the higher-education resources in the city.
With four other academically minded, young Black women, Murray founded a debutante program unlike any other at the time — one with the primary goal of encouraging young Black women to enroll in college. To become debutantes, these young women begin participating in educational workshops with WRC starting their junior year of high school.
At the annual ball — held after the debutantes’ first quarter or semester in college — community sponsors, alumni and WRC members provide scholarships of varying amounts to the debutantes.
In 2018, 12 women were presented as Washington Rhinestone debutantes at a ball held in December.
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-Written by Crystal Paul, The Seattle Times