The mission of “Pretty Brown Girl” is to encourage girls to celebrate the beautiful shades of brown all over the world, while inspiring positive self-esteem and confidence.
In 2010, Sheri and Corey Crawley returned to Detroit from Chicago. They relocated from a diverse downtown Chicago neighborhood to a small suburb of Detroit called Novi, MI, where the demographics were only 1% African American. After their oldest daughter, Laila, was enrolled in kindergarten, Sheri observed changes in her behavior. She lost her bubbly personality and became more withdrawn and timid during school hours. She began to make comments when she saw shampoo commercials on television. She said she wanted long blonde hair like that of her classmates, as opposed to her own beautifully textured hair.
Around the same time, Anderson Cooper on CNN 360, aired a four-part series on research results of the infamous "Doll Test". The test was initially conducted in the 1940s by Dr. Kenneth and Mamie Clark and greatly influenced the decision of Brown vs. Board of Education. This test showed that when given a choice, children have a bias toward brown skin tones.
Sheri also had a similar experience with planning a birthday for her youngest daughter, Aliya, at a very popular doll store located downtown Chicago. Not one of the little girls, including both of Sheri’s own daughters, chose a brown doll. Sheri was shocked and appalled with their decision and very surprised that the only brown doll that was available at the store was a freed slave.
More than ever, Sheri recognized the need to address the harmful messages about skin tone and beauty in the media. She was very concerned about the effect on girls who rarely see images of their own likeness depicted in a positive manner. Simultaneously, she began asking God how she could use her gifts and talents to empower others.
Ironically, Sheri's husband always used “Pretty Brown Girl” as a term of endearment towards their daughters. So, they decided to share this simple yet powerful message to encourage girls to be happy in their beautiful brown skin. The couple began by creating “The Pretty Brown Girl Doll” for little girls of all ethnicities to send the message that brown skin is indeed beautiful!
You are encouraged to visit "The Pretty Brown Girl" website and actively participate in the various ways they are uplifting the images and self-esteem of young girls everywhere by celebrating the various shades of brown all over the world. Then, spread the word to your family and friends so they can get involved too! You can also follow them on these websites!
Pretty Brown Girl on Facebook
Pretty Brown Girl on Twitter
Pretty Brown Girl on YouTube
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