‘Dear Little Black Girl’ author wants to empower Black children

Christina Hammond’s self-published picture book is filled with affirmations

Dec 7, 2020

The vibrant children’s book, Dear Little Black Girl, is filled with affirmations and beautiful illustrations of different little Black girls in their everyday lives.

“Dear Little Black Girl — be confidently unique,” and “Dear Little Black Girl — love the melanin that you are in,” are just a few of the affirmations in Christina Hammond’s debut self-published story book.

“I thought it’d be best to start with our children, you know, by implementing affirmations at such a young age. It would help them be better off than we are now,” said Hammond.

The book, which Hammond, 31, wrote in 2019, actually evolved from a poem that she wrote to her younger self in 2017. After she got pregnant, Hammond decided to complete her dream of writing a children’s book.

“One of the reactions that has definitely been encouraging is when families say they have a hard time finding books with characters that look like their children,” said Hammond. She says she is proud of how her book has touched the lives of so many Black families.

Hammond, a reading advocate, also began Tristyn’s Book Club, which is named after her daughter. She began the club in order to promote reading at young age as well as continuing her mission of emotional stability and confidence for Black children. Hammond curates book lists for Black girls, boys and families to enjoy.

“I’m trying to connect with more Black authors, especially independent Black authors,” said Hammond. She believes that the world of self-publishing doesn’t get enough recognition, and she wants to change that.

Hammond says she loves “being able to expose our audience to, again, not just those mainstream books that we see, but also to stories that Independent authors are telling.”

Although Hammond’s book is self-published and many of the books that she posts on her site and uses in her book club are self-published as well, she has hopes that she can release her follow-up book with a publishing house.

“My goal as far as major publisher is with Kaepernick Publishing Company. It’s fairly new, but I love what he does for our culture and our community,” said Hammond.

Kaepernick Publishing was founded in 2019 by athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick to promote new ideas and help shape the minds of future generations. According to the site, the company plans to do this “by elevating a new generation of writers and creators.”

“We seek to inspire all generations of readers and listeners through the development and publication of meaningful works of all genres with the focus of amplifying diverse views and voices,” the site read.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!