Photo by Sarah Huffman
Fans of the “Rebel Girls” book series celebrated the publication of the newest addition to the series during an outdoor book launch, held on Saturday, Oct. 2, at The Lit Bar bookstore in Mott Haven.
Rebel Girls is a series of books that tells the stories of powerful Black women of different racial and cultural backgrounds, who live or lived in different time periods, going back to the 17th century, in different parts of the world. Examples include activist and poet, Amanda Gorman, Shirley Chisholm who was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, and Olympian, Florence Griffith Joyner. The book also includes original artwork for each woman.
During the event, Lilly Workneh and CaShawn Thompson, the co-editors of, “Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real Life Tales of Black Girl Magic,” signed copies of the new book and participated in a Q&A session with fans of the series.
Workneh, journalist and current head of digital content for the website, rebelgirls.com, told Norwood News that since her career has centered around Black media and Black storytelling, she jumped at the opportunity to be involved with the book, especially when she found out Thompson was involved in the project.
Photo by Sarah Huffman
“It was a great opportunity to help pass on the stories and legacies of Black women to the next generation,” Workneh said. Thompson, meanwhile, is the originator of the #blackgirlmagic movement, social media hashtag, and clothing campaign which began in 2013. The brand highlights the perseverance of Black women, despite facing adversity.
Thompson agreed to the project because she thought a book like Rebel Girls was necessary. She said she wasn’t aware of the series prior to her involvement with the latest book, but she now loves all of them. “I’m just like, in love with the fact that they are essentially targeting girls, and […] bring about knowledge and representation for girls all over the world,” she said.
Dozens of parents, along with their young children, filled the street in front of The Lit Bar for the Rebel Girls-themed event. Julee Wilson, beauty director for Cosmopolitan magazine, moderated the Q&A, asking the editors about the creation of the book, and interacting with the audience. At one point, Wilson asked audience members to name a powerful Black woman they admired, and a few young girls said their own moms.
During the event, Workneh and Thompson each read a short section of the book aloud, and after the Q&A, all event attendees were invited to meet with them and have their books signed.
One eight-grader named Naomi said she’s read two other books from the “Rebel Girls” series and attended the event to get to know the authors of the latest series addition. Her friend, Kennedy, added that she wanted to learn about the women in the book. “I just also want to know more about my culture and people that look like me, and how they impacted history and paved ways for so many women,” she said.
Photo by Sarah Huffman
A mom named Christina said her six-year-old daughter reads the “Rebel Girls” books all the time, and so they came along to get the new book. “I was excited to come support and have her experience…and also start building allyship from this very young age…so not just hear stories about her own culture, but other stories as well,” Christina said.
The event was part of a series of book launches hosted by various, independent, Black bookstore owners in cities across the country. According to Workneh, the “Rebel Girls” team recognizes the influence “The Lit Bar” has had on the community, and in the Bronx in general, and wants to help it prosper.
“Really, these book events [are] to help support the bookstore, more than anything else, to help partner with them, to bring business and amplification and partnership in meaningful ways,” said Workneh. “I’m very well aware of the role they play in the community and partnering with them for this event and hopefully others in the future.”
Workneh said the creation of the book required her and Thompson to choose 100 women from a list of hundreds of potential names. She said they tried to make sure there was enough representation of women from different cultural backgrounds, professional backgrounds, classes, locations around the world, sexualities, and physical appearances.
“That was pretty challenging because every Black woman, in particular every Black woman who has ever existed, is magical,” she said. “I think it’s important, especially for young Black girls, to see themselves represented in the stories and the media they consume, and the younger we can start that, the better [and] the more we are able to help them feel confident, and see the possibilities of what they can be and do in life.”
Photo by Sarah Huffman
Once Workneh and Thompson had the list narrowed down, the two editors grouped the women into four categories: creators, leaders, champions and innovators. Workneh added that they tried to stress that not every remarkable woman does something that affects millions of people. She said it was not always about being a world changer, and that they tried to highlight some everyday women who created impactful change around them.
“The stories that we included are really women who followed and pursued their passions, unapologetically, and were able to overcome certain obstacles and challenges Black women, in particular, face in order to live authentic and full lives,” Workneh said.
During the Q&A, Thompson reiterated this point, stressing that no matter if you’re the Vice President of the United States or working at Walgreens, all Black girls and women exemplify “Black Girl Magic.”
Photo by Sarah Huffman
Prior to the event, Thompson said she was most excited about the interactions people would have with the book, and to receive feedback from girls and parents about what they like, what they learned, and if they identified with anything in the book.
Meanwhile, Workneh said she was excited to see the kids’ faces light up as they read the book and see them learn about people they might not have otherwise known.
Thompson added that she hopes people know that the book is not just for Black women and girls. “The book is for everyone, and I say that because these are stories that deserve to be told, and I think everyone deserves to hear them and appreciate and learn about the contributions that Black women and girls have made throughout history up until present day,” she said.
Photo by Sarah Huffman.
For Workneh, she said she hopes the book resonates with parents and kids everywhere and that they learn about Black women they may never have heard of before. She said she also hopes people take away a better understanding of what “Black Girl Magic” is and how that shows up in the world. “Rebel girls is all about inspiring and instilling confidence in the next global generation of girls, and really trying to do that through storytelling,” said Workneh.
“Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real Life Tales of Black Girl Magic,” along with the other Rebel Girls books, can be purchased at rebelgirls.com and elsewhere. Workneh is co-editor and contributor, Thompson is co-editor and wrote the foreword, and Jestine Ware, Diana Odero and Sonja Thomas are contributors.
*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.
