This is the story of Venus, an 8-year-old girl who is having a hard time loving herself out loud due to constant bullying at school, until she has a conversation with a teacher that will change everything! Venus’ teacher takes the time to teach her about the Melanin Magic that makes her skin special. She supports Venus’ and encourages her to be herself.

Although the story is fictional, the inspiration behind it comes from a very real place. This is essentially the story of the author - she experienced severe bullying as a child from her peers and unfortunately, even teachers due to the color of her skin. Learning to Love Dark Skinned me is a book that helps children identify what they’re feeling no matter which side of the “bullying” they find themselves on.

The child who is being bullied feels the emotional or physical sting strongly and can also feel powerless; classmates who witness the bullying often don’t know what to do; and the child doing the bullying is most likely struggling too, with anger issues and things they may not feel comfortable speaking about aloud. Through the stories told in books, children can meet characters who are dealing with strong emotions and who learn to manage those feelings in positive ways. That’s what this book is all about. After reading, your child should understand that colorism and discrimination do exist, they should be able to recognize the power and importance of kindness, compassion and empathy for others, and ultimately learn to celebrate everything about themselves.