Parents' Guide to Black Girl, Black Girl

BLACK GIRL, BLACK GIRL begins with a Black mom telling her daughter about nine famous Black women and girls in the 20th and 21st century. They include Vice President Kamala Harris; astronaut Mae Carol Jemison; ballet dancer Misty Copeland; Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph; civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin; and award-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer Ava DuVernay. The mom uses a quilt as a metaphor, showing that each of these heroes and role models fits into the ongoing quilt of history. As the back matter explains, "There is a sense of pride and self-esteem connected with quilting. Quilts provide a record of their cultural and political past." It also notes that quilting is recognized as an African American tradition in American art. Most of the women in the book made their mark in the United States. But Viola Desmond was a civil rights activist and businesswoman in Canada; Adelaide Casley-Hayford was an advocate for education in Sierra Leone; and Miriam Makeba was a singer, songwriter, and actress from South Africa.