August 25, 2021 Celebrating the Unique Colors of our Skin Mentors help Kanisha* and Keandra* embrace their Black Girl Magic All our youth are beautiful. But they live in a world that does not always honor the beauty of their skin. So, our professional mentors play an important role in celebrating their beauty and encouraging their self-love. Mentor Lynette is teaching her girls about how to celebrate the color of their skin by starting a Black Girl Magic Club. Keandra* is the first member. Together Lynette and Keandra read I Need You to Know…The ABC’s of Black Girl Magic by Lora McClain-Muhammad and then colored in the pictures while discussing the beauty of their skin tones. Lynette asked Keandra what color she would rather be and Keandra said she preferred the color of her skin because she is beautiful, and Lynette celebrated her self-love. Mentor Melanie also talked with Kanisha* about embracing self-love. While at the library one day, Kanisha chose to read Honeysmoke by Monique Fields. Honeysmoke follows the story of a biracial girl Simone as she struggles with her identity because she is not the same color as her mom or dad and doesn’t know where she fits in. Simone eventually learns to embrace the color of her skin and calls her color Honeysmoke, highlighting aspects of both her parents’ complexions. Kanisha related to this story and after reading it was empowered to name her color as Dark Caramel Frappuccino and Mentor Melanie called her color Caramel Peanut Butter. They then talked about all the beautiful and delicious things that resemble the colors of their skin. Our mentors know that self-confidence is important and will continue to encourage and empower our youth as they explore their beauty and identity.