ThreeSixty -

By Chue Vue

On September 26th, Sharon Flake — author of books including “The Skin I’m In” — came to the YWCA in Saint Paul to meet with teen girls and adults who have studied and learned from her message of self-acceptance. Chue Vue, a St. Paul senior, sent this report.

A bustling hallway led to a room full of framed photographs of African American girls from St. Paul whose messages declare that they are “lovin’ the skin they’re in.”

As girls in bright orange t-shirts handed out flyers, they asked passing visitors “Are you lovin’ the skin you’re in?”

Several dozen teen girls and adults came to the St. Paul YWCA to meet author Sharon Flake and describe what they learned from her book about a dark-skinned girl’s challenges and eventual self-acceptance.

Among them were Arlington High School students Danielle Goodwin and Briana Barnes, two of the “11 Lovin’ Arlington Sisters” who met last year to discuss Flake’s book and its message. Their group was one of several that met in St. Paul.

Margo Mann-Lanier, one of the an assistant principal at Arlington last year, recruited girls for the group based on academics and skills. The girls met every Wednesday and reflected on current issues, movie clips and Flake’s book.

“The book was realistic. It made me realize a whole lot more about the way people perceive each other, that the darker the skin color, the more different people treat you. It has a mental effect but I’ve learned to be more outspoken because of it,” said Barnes.

Barnes gives this piece of advice to other young teens, “Never judge anyone by the color of their skin or their belief system. Get involved and meet new people. Find your own perspective on life, and most importantly, love the skin you’re in.”

“A racial slur, especially about the way a person looks is a serious issue and people deal with it every day,” said Goodwin, an Arlington senior. “This book touched on multiple issues like low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence in young girls.”

“I love myself a whole lot more through reading and discussing this book,” said Goodwin. “I’ve learned to embrace my flaws, that I have to live with them no matter what, and that I wouldn’t change them if I could.”
Of the many people who came to show support for Flake and the movement that she has created through her book was Zoua Pha, an Americorps Fellow for the East Metro Integration District Office of Equity and Integration.

“Lovin the Skin I’m In is such a great program! It’s about building up girls’ self-esteem. The media have such a great influence on girls and most media are negatives and portray women/girls that for them to be beautiful, they must have a certain body type,” said Pha.

“What we would like to do with this program is to reach out to junior high girls in the East Metro School Districts and get involved in this program. Our hope is that through this program, we can outreach to a lot more girls and help them build up their self-esteem. Junior high can be a pretty tough place for girls, especially when it comes to their body. We hope that through this program and with Robin Hickman’s help, we’ll get these girls/young ladies to be proud of the skin they’re in.”

Robin Hickman is the head of Soultouch Productions, a St. Paul non-profit involved in television and film production, youth mentorship and media consulting. During the past year, she has worked with groups of young people in St. Paul who read Flake’s book and created personal reflections of what it means to love the skin they’re in. The St. Paul YWCA has been a partner in the program.

“Lovin’ the Skin I’m In addresses the common yet painful issues of adolescence as experienced by African American youth,” said Hickman. “The YWCA Lovin’ Sisterhood brings together the artistic expressions by young people about identity, acceptance, and beauty.”

Billy Collins, executive director of the YWCA, applauded the young ladies for “the celebration, concentration, and recognition of the good the youth have done for the community.”