Lilly Workneh - Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

Edited by Lilly Workneh

Foreword by Cashawn Thompson

100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic

Copyright 2021 by Rebel Girls, Inc.

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This is a work of creative nonfiction. It is a collection of heartwarming and thought-provoking bedtime stories inspired by the lives and adventures of more than 100 heroic women. It is not an encyclopedic account of the events and accomplishments of their lives.

www.rebelgirls.com

Art director: Giulia Flamini

Cover and graphics designer: Annalisa Ventura

Cover illustrations: Olivia Fields (Shirley Chisholm), Alleanna Harris (Jeanette Epps), Johnalynn Holland (Aretha Franklin), Danielle Elysse Mann (Naomi Osaka)

Editor: Lilly Workneh

Foreword: CaShawn Thompson

Contributors: Diana Odero, Sonja Thomas, Jestine Ware, Lilly Workneh

Special thanks: Marina Asenjo, Grace House, Sarah Parvis, Maithy Vu

ISBN: 978-1-953424-04-4

ISBN: 978-1-9534-2405-1 (Ebook)

To the Rebel Girls of the world:

Believe in your dreams

Embrace your power

Unleash your magic

And always remember,

You are limitless.

FOREWORD

Dear Rebel,

Welcome to a book filled with Black Girl Magic! My name is CaShawn Thompson, and I am the Rebel Girl who created the popular Black Girls Are Magic phrase that quickly grew to become the #BlackGirlMagic movement. Im so excited Rebel Girls asked me to participate in writing this wonderful bookand I cant wait for you to read it!

Before you dig in, Im sure some of you may be wondering: What is Black Girl Magic?

Ill tell you a secret: I was just a kid myself when I realized that Black girls and women are magic. I dont mean like literal mystical creaturesmore like women who do the extraordinary. As a young girl, I loved reading fairy tales filled with enchanted forests and characters with special powers, like witches, warlocks, and fairies. They were magic, so thats how I described the wonderful things happening around me.

I thought that the amazing things I saw my mom, grandma, aunts, and older cousins do were because they had special powers too! It showed up in the way my grandma baked wonderful sweet potato pies and in the way my aunt told us stories and taught me and my sister how to dance. It was also in the way my big cousins braided my hair and made us little girls feel free, loved, and strong. All those things looked and felt like magic to me.

As Ive grown up and now understand the world in a more adult way, Ive come to realize that what I believed to be magic as a little girl was really the hard work, intelligence, strength, and love of the Black women around me. It is magical to see them spread their light in spite of the obstacles they have faced.

Seeing those positive qualitiesfirst in the women in my family and later in my friends, teachers, and favorite celebritiesmade me feel strong and smart. I felt good about myself because I saw Black women existing in love and being examples of excellence in the world. Its important to me that young girls everywhere, of all backgrounds, girls like YOU, know about more women like this. I want YOU to be inspired and feel good too.

As you read the stories in this book, you will learn about women who are legendary as well as women who are little known. It doesnt matter how big or small their accomplishments areeach of these women is extraordinary in her own way. Some have become Olympic champions and political history makers, while others have created powerful art and remarkable inventions. Youll be amazed by them all!

Does it matter that you dont look just like they do or come from the same places that they do?

No!

Does it matter that they are older or younger than you are or speak a different language than you speak?

No way!

The only thing that matters is that YOU believe you can also achieve great things in life. These stories will expose you to phenomenal women and spark your imagination. These arent made-up fairy talesthey are REAL-LIFE STORIES of women who are Black Girl Magic.

Just like them, you are special and important, and no matter what path you take in life, you will find the magic within yourself and share your light with the world.

I promise you, its there.

Love always,

CaShawn A. Thompson

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the wondrous world of Black Girl Magic and the fourth volume of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls! Im Lilly, the editor of this book, and Im overjoyed to invite you on this reading journey. Like each release in this series, this book is packed with 100 stories of remarkable women that will inspire you and maybe even broaden your ideas about the many things you can be and do.

There are a few things that make this volume super special. This book is all about the real-life stories of Black women, and it was created by Black people from cover to cover. More than 60 Black female or nonbinary illustrators created the incredible portraits in this book. Four Black women authors (including me!) contributed the stories. And CaShawn Thompson, the trailblazer who coined the term Black Girl Magic, helped choose the women whose stories you will find in these pages. She also wrote the foreword that begins the book.

As a storyteller with a long background in journalism, I believe its critical to shine a bigger spotlight on the stories and legacies of Black women and girls. Weve all seen Black characters in books that just dont seem real or true. Or, even worse, youve probably read lots of books that dont include Black characters at all! With this book, we want you to read about women and girls who laugh, sing, cry, and have hopes and frustrationsjust like you!

The stories in this book feature women who embody four different forces. Youll read about creators like award-winning singer Aretha Franklin, champions like record-breaking tennis star Naomi Osaka, leaders like political powerhouse Shirley Chisholm, and innovators like adventurous astronaut Jeanette Epps.