Pregnant Girl

An activist calls on society to better support young families so they can thrive and reflects on her experiences as a Black mother fighting for opportunities for herself and her child.Each year, approximately 750,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 in the U.S. become pregnant. Teen pregnancy continues to be one of the most intensely debated issues among policymakers, educators, religious leaders, and families. There is agreement, however, on its negative consequences. Less than 50% of teen mothers graduate from high school and just 2% from college. Studies also confirm that a child whose mother had her as a teenager is set up to have a tough life. Pregnant Girl provides a narrative we rarely find in popular media: an affirmation and validation of young mothers' experiences. After becoming pregnant during her senior year in high school, Nicole Lynn Lewis put herself through college and earned several advanced degrees before starting her nonprofit, Generation Hope. Her personal story and the stories from women she's met and worked with to reveal a new perspective on teen pregnancy, poverty, racism, and the movement to make college more accessible for teen parents everywhere that will add to the national conversation. This raw, moving exploration of young motherhood gives us a chance to see what it would look like for the US to provide real support for young mothers.