Yelitsa Jean-Charles is a successful young black woman who is busy showing the incredible influence black women can have on each other, and on the world.
Jean-Charles, an art student at Rhode Island School of Design, recently delivered a riveting TEDx talk where she confronts the serious and, sadly, all too common issues of colorism and internalized racism that plague communities of color. These are also issues Jean-Charles said she has dealt with personally, until she eventually decided to fight back.
In her speech, Jean-Charles recalled the disappointment she said she felt as a child when her parents gifted her with a black Barbie doll for Christmas.
"I instantly started crying, because to me it wasn't the real Barbie because it wasn't the 'pretty' barbie," she said. She went on to explain how she had been conditioned as a child to believe that anything "beautiful" was associated with blonde hair and blue eyes, which she said distanced her from her blackness.
“"When you're ignored by the mainstream media, you have to become a problem solver, an innovator...”
- Yelitsa Jean-Charles
However, Jean-Charles said that as she got older she began to unpack this harmful messaging and embrace her own beauty. She said she wanted to address the lack of diversity among children's toys and media so that more young girls of color could see themselves reflected among those offerings.
In doing so, she launched Healthy Roots, which is a toy company that comes with a line of dolls with natural hair and a book that teaches girls about haircare.
"When you're ignored by the mainstream media, you have to become a problem solver, an innovator and you have to be smart about it," Jean-Charles said.
However Jean-Charles, who is a first-time business owner, understands the difficulties that come with finding funding when you're an entrepreneur of color. In her speech, she shoutouts several other black girls and women who are rising up to the challenge and pursuing their own dreams in hopes of helping more women and girls like them, including 14-year-old entrepreneur Maya Penn, 11-year-old book enthusiast Marley Dias and TV's matriarch Shonda Rhimes.
"I do look forward to a future where more young women can rise to the occasion through innovative solutions and a little bit of 'black girl magic,'" she said. "My hope is that all of you here will support the work that I and other young women are doing because we need your help to change the world."
We hope you keep up the good work, Yelitsa -- you have all of our support!
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the school Jean-Charles attends. She is a student at Rhode Island School of Design.
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