 |
| IG: Jamie Loves Her Natural Hair |
Ariane Roberts saw the stories of little brown girls bullied and teased about their natural hair. Girls like Vanessa VanDyke, who faced expulsion over her bountiful 'fro. Girls like Tiana Parker, sent home from school because of her lush locs. Girls who needed to be embraced, celebrated, and reaffirmed of their natural beauty.
Continue Reading
The natural hair enthusiast and blogger BlackNaps.org decided to write a book that would help build their confidence and teach them self love--and set a goal to raise the money she needed to create and publish her work.
"I thought why not teach kids from the beginning that who they are is just fine. Vanessa has such a strong sense of self, but there are many young girls her age who don’t," Roberts wrote in her Kickstarter campaign. "Even more troubling, this is not the only incident where young girls of color are told by their schools that their hair is unacceptable. This led me to the decision to create a character that would encourage children to embrace who they are."
Jamie Loves Her Natural Hair is the story of a young girl who realizes that her hair is different --so she loves and accepts who she is.
Jamie knows her hair is uniquely beautiful. It isn't like the other girls' in her class, her teacher's, or her favorite characters, but that's okay. She's positive and confident, and accepts her hair in all of its glory.
"What I love about this project and what differentiates it from others in its niche is the positivity that radiates from the character. At no point does she view her hair as unruly or hard to manage," says Roberts. "This is a book with an important message and value; teaching our children the beauty of self love."
The campaign brought in donations from hundreds of people who believed in Jamie's story of self love, raising almost $600 over the goal amount. You can support and inspire a little girl by purchasing the book here.
What do you think about this book? Was there a time you were teased about your natural hair?
******************************************
Tiffani Greenaway is the wife and mom behind MyMommyVents, a New York city parenting blog. Her tips have been seen on Yahoo Parenting, Mommy Noire, and Fit Pregnancy. Find more of Tiffani's work at mymommyvents.com.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/mymommyvents
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mymommyvents
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mymommyvents/