Inspired by the uplifting lyrics of Culture Queen's popular song "I Like the Me I See!" from her album by the same title, the rhythmical text in I Like the Me I See! accompanies vibrant images of Culture Queen and her "royal children" celebrating all the qualities that make them who they are. With a focus on body positivity and self-affirmation, they proudly proclaim their African American cultural identity through phrases packed with meaning: "I like my skin, I feel comfortable within." "Though we're different from one another, I won't compare myself to others." "I like the me I see, so I'll stick to being me."
Solomia Kovalchuk's rich, colorful illustrations were inspired by photos of ten years' worth of real-life interactions between Culture Queen and her "Culture Kingdom Kids" at the classes she has taught and shows she has performed. The background of each page is filled with Adinkra symbols from Ghana, West Africa, a beautiful synthesis of artistic expression and a complete sense of being.
I Like the Me I See! will be available at Amazon.com, Culture Queen's website, and at Culture Queen's performances and appearances.
I had a chance to interview her to learn more.
Culture Kingdom is a great name. How was that name chosen?
In 2009, I was working with students in an afterschool program called the Minority Club. The purpose of the club was the tutor black and brown elementary age children who had low standardized test scores. I felt that the name of the club was very demeaning and disempowering to the students. I started facilitating empowering cultural literacy activities for the children to engage in each week. The children said that the activities made them feel royal. I proposed the name of the club be changed to Culture Kingdom Kids; and the children voted to make it official. From then on, the self-esteem of the students increased rapidly through the cultural literary arts integration activities I would create. In 2010, I established Culture Kingdom Kids, LLC as a company and trademarked the name. Since then, I’ve educated and entertained over 5,000 Culture Kingdom Kids throughout the United States and across the globe.
Why is it so important for kids of all backgrounds to have books that build their self-esteem?
I believe that it’s of the utmost importance for children to see themselves in the books they read. Not only do they need to see themselves, they need to read about themselves in positive and culturally affirming narratives. There’s a subliminal message that is communicated when children don’t see themselves illustrated authentically in picture books. That message is that they don’t matter nor do they exist. My book, I Like the Me I See!, depicts children engaging in positive, fun and culturally empowering activities with me as Culture Queen because it’s also important for children to read books that show them having fun, positive and wholesome interactions with adults who look like them. When children see this, it communicates the message that they are special, important, valuable and of the highest priority, which of course, they are.
How can teachers and parents work to promote diverse communities that provide positive messages to kids?
Well, they can start by refreshing their libraries by removing all children’s books that are culturally insensitive, that promote stereotypes or that do not positively represent black or brown characters in their illustrations. Secondly, they can update their libraries by purchasing books like I Like the Me I See! and a few of my personal favorites including Our People by Angela Shelf Medearis, and The King of Kindergarten and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes. These books all affirm a child’s sense of self-esteem while simultaneously instilling cultural heritage values. Finally, they can start reading these amazing books to their children and creating fun and interactive extension activities to further reinforce the lessons taught in the book.
About Culture Queen:Jessica “Culture Queen” Hebron is an award-winning author, entertainer and educator who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Since 2010, Jessica has owned and operated her own company, Culture Kingdom Kids, LLC, where she has performed and produced innovative children’s performances, festivals, workshops, and professional development programs for diverse audiences from primary school to Yale University, The Kennedy Center, the Atlas Performing Arts Center, and museums including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture, the National Children’s Museum, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture, the Black History Museum of Virginia, the Prince George’s African American Museum, and Busboys and Poets’ Restaurants. Culture Queen has been honored to be a featured speaker at TEDxRVA and a featured screenwriter on TED-ED ’s animated short film on Malian King Mansa Musa, which to date has received over 4 million views. She released her first children’s music album, I Like the Me I See!, in 2016; and her first picture book with the same title in 2019.
Culture Queen has been featured in media outlets including the nationally syndicated show “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, Fox 5, NBC, ABC’s “Good Morning Washington,” 93.9 WKYS, The Washington Post, Billboard Magazine, Baltimore’s Child, Richmond Family Magazine, and Red Tricycle. She was voted “40 Under Forty” by the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund, “Alumnus of the Year" Award by the Prince George's County Public Schools' Board of Education, and is the proud recipient of the Africa Access Award for Excellence In Children’s Programming, the Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Community Leadership Award, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. “Women’s History In the Making” Award. In 2019, Culture Queen became the Children’s Cultural Literacy Ambassador-In-Residence for Busboys and Poets.
To learn more about her work, follow Culture Queen on social media @ImCultureQueen on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Watch the Black History Live with Culture Queen Web Series HERE.
Watch Culture Queen's TED Talk HERE.
Watch the I Like the Me I See! video HERE.
Visit Culture Queen's website at www.culturekingdomkids.com.
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Culture Queen on Twitter
Culture Queen on Instagram
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