“Hey Maya, come hang out with us!” A little girl said with a bright smile plastered on her face.
Maya was swinging on the swing alone and looked up from the ground. She gave the girl a small smile. “Me?”
“Yes you silly,” The little girl stood next to Maya and helped her off the swing. “We’re all waiting for you.”
Maya nodded enthusiastically and walked ahead of the little girl, unknown to her a smile was creeping across the little girl's lips.
Maya smiled. “So what are we doing?
“Why are you smiling?” The little girl asked rudely.
“What do you mean?”
The little girl laughed. “You didn’t think we’d actually want to hang out with someone like you.”
Maya looked down at the ground. “Someone like me?”
“You’re too dark and your hair looks nappy. We don’t hang out with people like that.” The little girl smiled and walked away. Tears began pouring down Maya’s cheeks.
Without thinking she ran away from the school yard. She sat down on the sidewalk and cried even harder. She was ugly, too dark and had nappy hair. These three specific comments were imprinted in her mind like an unforgettable memory.
Aniyah was almost to her office when she ran past a little girl that was crying on the sidewalk. “Hello?” Aniyah asked. “Are you okay?”
Maya looked up at Aniyah with red shot eyes and tear stained cheeks. “Am I too dark?”
Aniyah furrowed her eyebrows at Maya’s question. “Are you too dark?” She sat down next to Maya. “No, why do you ask?”
Maya looked down at the ground full of sorrow. “They say it so much that I see myself that way.”
Aniyah looked at Maya in astonishment. “Who are they?”
“My classmates. They say things like that all the time and it hurts. It hurts so much. It’s like those words were imprinted in my mind. I would call myself ugly. I would look down at my skin and wish I was lighter like my classmates. I would also look at my hair in the mirror and look at the naps.”
“Your hair is beautiful.” Aniyah said.
Maya sighed. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you deserve to hear the positive things about yourself instead of lies.”
A small smile appeared on Maya's face then it quickly disappeared. She didn’t know if
Aniyah was saying this just to humiliate her afterwards. “What positive things?”
Aniyah smiled. “Well how about your skin complexion. It’s so beautiful that you’re shining in the sunlight,” Aniyah held onto Maya's arm. “I know a conversation with a stranger won’t fix everything but it’s important you understand you’re a Black queen.”
“What’s a Black queen?”
“A beautiful Black woman or girl that is confident in herself.” Aniyah explained.
Maya didn’t say anything. She was afraid that she wouldn’t live up to the definition of being a Black queen. Her negative thoughts completely took over.
“I can sense what you’re thinking. It will take time, but you will get there. Just remember the more you think it the more you will believe it,” Aniyah gave her a warm smile. “I have to go now but I hope everything will turn out alright.” She smiled and started walking off to her office.
Maya watched as Aniyah walked off into the distance. Aniyah didn’t know it but Maya would soon grow up to write a book about the importance of becoming a Black queen.
