DBT40 Honoree: Stephanie Dawkins

Title: Founder and CEO

Stephanie Dawkins | DBT PHOTO BY LUIGI CIUFFETELLI

Workplace: Be The Light Global, Inc./DBA Black Girls Hike Too

Age: 38

As the public face of Black Girls Hike Too, Stephanie Dawkins strives to provide a safe space for women of color to enjoy Delaware’s outdoor spaces.

Dawkins rediscovered her love of nature after recovering from a deep depression and an abusive former relationship, she said. Remembering her childhood days spent on a family farm in New Jersey led her to reclaim a sense of peace that she now shares with other women of color through the organization she founded in 2020.

The entrepreneur also runs The Light Entertainment, an entertainment company that has curated open mic nights and women empowerment events in the Wilmington area. In 2021, in response to growing racial unrest due to police violence in the country, she also organized a community prayer and candlelight vigil in Wilmington for residents and law enforcement alike to pay their respects.

Dawkins fearlessly stepped forward to address the pressing need for accessible health and wellness resources, particularly for marginalized communities, striving to be the leader and advocate to make her world better.

The Middletown resident, self-described “creative visionary” and mother of one also works part time as a correspondent for DelawareBlack.com, featuring Delaware’s Black-owned business and entrepreneurs. She is a 2014 recipient of the YWCA’s Genevieve Gore Young Women’s Leadership Award 2014 and is a member of YWCA’s Women’s Hall of Fame.