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Black girls often face derogatory comments about their natural hair and discrimination based on it. While many authors have published books for children that present a positive image of natural hair and that seek to empower young Black girls to accept, love, and care for their hair and themselves, here I analyze how Hair Love (2019) by Matthew Cherry and Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun (2022) by Tolá Okogwu teach Black feminist principles and encourage Black girls to embrace their natural hair. I explore how Black feminist theory and praxis informs the lessons in these books so that Black girls receive education in self-love along with the tenets of Black feminism.
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Tiffany Bailey (2026) studied this question.
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