ALLOW CHILDREN TO DREAM
in Colorful Hues!
written by Corretta L. Doctor
written by Corretta L. Doctor LaToya Lewis is an educator and writer living in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She has a message for children and parents of all skin colors and races. With the support of her Mother Wendy Lewis, LaToya released the book, ‘I Am Brown’ on July 4, 2020, the date of her late grandmother, Gladys Lewis’, birthday. LaToya’s grandmother taught her to fully love herself. In a time where racism is echoing loudly in America, brown children around the world are learning more about what the color of their skin means to them. The color of our skin is supposed to be universal with no limitations or discrimination. That is the hope for parents and influencers around the world. They are faced with teaching innocent children the truth about colorism and racism. Colorism is an emotional battle within communities that are majority black. Racism is any prejudice directed against a person on the basis of their race typically the minority of a collective of people. At an early age, it is not easy to understand why
having a specific skin color is directly tied to lost lives and political unrest across television and newspaper headlines. Parents and people in leadership roles have a tough job ahead of them. ‘I Am Brown’ is a book about a girl with brown skin named Brailey. She loved to color, and coloring people different shades was her favorite thing to do. Brailey, through her classmate, learned that everyone does not see the world in color the way that she does. LaToya tells us, “Brown kids are identifying with the cover of the book.” The book has a golden rod yellow cover that features a brown skin, young girl with cornrows and an afro-puff hairstyle, wearing a smile. The little girl on the cover is seemingly happy while coloring the stem of a red flower with a green crayon. “The book was written as a way for me to vent”, says LaToya. “It is supposed to be for me but now it is impacting all children that come in contact with the book. I wrote the book because I was venting about a series of situations that communiqué Magazine
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