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ABOUT DEAR BLACK GIRL
This Is Where You Find Direction and Believe in Yourself Again.
Dear Black Girl was not built from a strategy. It was built from a question Quiana Malone kept asking herself: why are so many Black women navigating life carrying unhealed experiences, no clear direction, and the pressure to succeed while silently struggling?
There were not enough spaces that let women be honest about where they were while also moving toward where they wanted to go. So she built one.
THE ORGANIZATION BEHIND THE WORK
About 1 Step Up, Inc.
Dear Black Girl is the signature program of 1 Step Up, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in Jacksonville, Florida in 2015. 1 Step Up was created to help individuals and families move beyond crisis and toward lasting stability through personal development, resource connection, education, and community support.
From the beginning, 1 Step Up has focused on the communities most often overlooked and most deserving of investment: underserved and justice-impacted communities. Dear Black Girl is the direct expression of that mission, expanded specifically for Black women and women of color who are ready to grow.
MISSION AND VISION
What We Stand For
Our Mission
To empower Black women and women of color through healing-centered personal development experiences that promote self-awareness, emotional wellness, leadership, and educational advancement.
Our Vision
To create a world where every Black girl and woman has access to the tools, resources, support, and opportunities needed to heal, thrive, and pursue her highest potential. By combining personal development with educational investment, Dear Black Girl seeks to create generational transformation that extends far beyond the individual participant.
"Healing is the foundation. Education is the bridge. Legacy is the goal."
-Quiana Malone
MEET THE FOUNDER
Quiana Malone
Founder and Executive Director
Quiana Malone is a 2x published author, facilitator, speaker, and the Founder and Executive Director of 1 Step Up, Inc. and Dear Black Girl. Her background spans community engagement, behavioral health, justice-impacted populations, peer support, and nonprofit leadership.
But what drives her is not her resume. It is her story.
Quiana has been a teenage mother, a formerly incarcerated woman, and someone who has experienced homelessness. She knows what it feels like to have potential but no access to guidance, no safe space to be honest, and no one handing you a roadmap. She did not let those experiences define her. She let them clarify her purpose.
In 2015, she founded 1 Step Up, Inc. In 2020, she launched Dear Black Girl after seeing, over and over again, that Black women needed more than motivation. They needed structure, community, and someone willing to walk alongside them. Under her leadership, Dear Black Girl has graduated nine cohorts, expanded to Atlanta, Georgia, and is launching in Los Angeles in August 2026.
"Nothing about me without me."
That is not just a tagline. It is the philosophy behind every program, every grant, and every decision made at Dear Black Girl. The women this organization serves are not recipients. They are the reason the work exists, and their voices shape everything.
FOR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
Why This Work Deserves Your Investment
Dear Black Girl addresses real, documented gaps: in mental wellness access, educational attainment, economic mobility, and leadership opportunity for Black women and women of color. The programming is culturally responsive, community-rooted, and designed by someone who has lived the experience she is now helping others navigate.
Investments in Dear Black Girl support cohort programming, Bridge Grant funding for students facing educational barriers, community workshops, and expansion into new cities. We are actively seeking partners and funders who believe that investing in the healing and advancement of Black women is one of the highest-impact investments a foundation or individual can make.
We are 100% community-driven, sustained through individual giving, merchandise sales, grassroots fundraising, and grant support from organizations including The Community Foundation and United Way of Arkansas.
