Lawrence Lindell
Artist Lawrence Lindell created “From Black Boy With Love,” a children’s book released this past March, to teach black boys to treat black girls with respect. The book contains 24 pages of illustrations of young boys beside uplifting messages of love to black girls.
“It’s not just about the relationship between black men and women, it’s the relationship between men and women, period,” Lindell said.
“I’m black and my community is full of black and brown women who I love dearly and I wanted to make something for them,” he continued. “But we as men have a huge problem with how we talk, treat and think about women.”
Lindell, a youth art educator, said that he too frequently sees children berating others with one of the first targets of mockery being a darker skin tone.
“The first thing they go for when teasing each other is hair, body shape and skin tone,” Lindell said. “’You ol’ nappy-headed, black-ass charcoal looking girl,’ ‘with yo ugly fat ass.’ We have to change the narrative that the more melanin you have means you’re uglier and that natural hair is bad or improper.”
“Black and brown boys, treat all girls with respect, but especially the ones who look like you, sound like you, live where you live; we have to take care of each other,” he said.
This book is for all the girls of color across the world who have been made to feel uncomfortable in their own skin. You are life, you are important and you matter.
From
This black boy with love
-Lawrence
Lawrence Lindell
You can purchase a copy of Lindell’s book here.