BLACK GIRL, BLACK GIRL, WHAT DO YOU SEE?
I See a Black Princess Looking at Me!
By Dr. Talaya M. Tolefree & Nia-Imani Tolefree
It is always gratifying to me to see more children’s books that center upon Black girls and boys, a far cry from the lay of the land decades ago. Independent authors deserve a hat tip for their labor of love in publishing these books, which instill education, teachable moments, and pride in who we are as descendants of kings and queens. Mother and daughter Dr. Talaya Tolefree and Nia-Imani Tolefree’s book Black Girl, Black Girl, What Do You See? I See a Black Princess Looking at Me! epitomizes these principles.
As a child of the 1950s, I grew up with the dichotomy of “good hair” vs. “bad hair” when it came to Black women. Beautifully illustrated by Simbarashe Langton Vera, with each page, this book affirms Black Girl Beauty, from the array of skin tones we have to the great variety of styles that complement natural hair, hair befitting a princess. It puts the lie to the belief that having natural hair is “bad hair,” and that Black girls have to live up to beauty standards of a culture not their own.
I loved Tolefree’s Sankofa moments of beauty and brilliance, loving the whole person. As for the affirmation, if I’d had a daughter, I’d make sure she knew this by heart as early as possible.
Dr. Talaya M. Tolefree is an Educational Consultant, and the founder and Executive Director of the girls’ leadership institute Empowered to Be Me! Nia-Imani Tolefree is the Community Engagement Coordinator and a founding member of Empowered to Be Me!
Black Girl, Black Girl, What Do You See? is available through Amazon.
Thank you, Talaya and Nia-Imani, for your voices of love, inclusivity, diversity, and changing the narrative for Black girls. Representation matters!
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
