WALLED LAKE, Mich. – A father-daughter duo from Walled Lake wrote a book together about feeling beautiful with the skin you are in.
The book centers around a biracial child who has questions of why her skin is different than her parents. It’s a book they hope will help not only other children, but adults too.
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Nevaeh Tucker is 11 years old. She said a couple years ago she didn’t feel like the other children her age.
“She was kind of struggling identifying herself and her mom,” Nevaeh Tucker’s father Antonio Tucker said.
Nevaeh Tucker’s father is Black and her mother is White. She said when she got older she started noticing a difference. She said she also noticed that she was treated differently at times.
“We would go to certain playgrounds and parks and sometimes children would not include her in certain activities,” Antonio Tucker said. “I also took that as a moment to teach.”
Those lessons turned into a children’s book called “Why is My Skin Brown.”
“I like to write things down on paper. I feel like you can really express what you put in your writing,”Nevaeh Tucker said.
The duo worked on writing the book together. They shared Nevaeh’s feelings and insecurities. Her father helped her frame her message.
READ: Students write poetry for Black History Month
In the book, Nevaeh talks about her skin, hair and other features that are different than her parents. She comes to the realization that she is very special and beautiful. That she has a purpose and a greatness within her.
Nevaeh said that when she grows up she wants to be a lawyer. She said she is interested in doing more with her writing and said she liked how it felt to uplift and teach others.
Nevaeh and her father hope that children and adults of all races will take the time to read and share the book.