We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Hawkins & Ingrid Estrada-Darley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal Hawkins & Ingrid Estrada-Darley, what do you attribute your success to?
Our brand is built on the belief that representation matters and the beauty that comes with pride in the color of your skin, where you’re from (city/neighborhood) and self-love. Often Black and Brown children, especially those from South Central Los Angeles, aren’t represented in children’s literature. As Black and Brown women business owners, authenticity is foundational for us. It’s important that we are honoring who we are as women of color and using our creative talents to highlight the beauty in diversity for children, families and communities. We’d have to say that our success is due to a few important factors.

1. We believe in the work we’re doing, so much so that we’ve invested personal financial resources and time into our business.

2. Authenticity, we name Black and Brown communities. We highlight, name and celebrate neighborhoods that aren’t normally seen in a positive light in the media (books).

3. Partnerships with local businesses, school districts, and community members. Support from family and friends has also been a major contributor to our success.

4. Ownership of our brand and publishing company allows us to tell and share our stories in a way that is authentic and special to us, in hopes to connect with our readers.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Black Girl, Brown Girl Books is a children’s book publishing company created to increase the representation of Black and Brown characters in children’s literature. We are both South Central Los Angeles natives, best friends, and social workers that have over 30 years of combined experience working within early education settings. Our business came about from heart-to-heart conversations about the lack of representation of our communities in children’s literature. So, we decided to not only create a book, but a whole publishing company that hopes to one day uplift other underrepresented communities through representation in children’s literature. We are most excited about the many possibilities that exist for our business and being able to represent our communities in a positive way. We love the work that we do and sharing these books with children, families, and entire communities in nothing short of a dream come true.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many fun things to do in LA when your best friend comes to visit! Since summer is in full swing, we’d make sure to schedule a hike at Kenneth Hahn or Griffith Park. Both parks offer amazing views of the city and a hike is always a good way of getting some exercise and enjoying the outdoors. Next we’d invite our friend to brunch at one of our favorite brunch spots: The Court Cafe or The Coffee Company on the west side of town, in the Westchester/Inglewood area. LA also has some impressive museums that we’d love to visit with a friend – such as the Broad or LA County Museum of Arts (LACMA). Once the weekend comes around, we’d invite our friend to enjoy a sunset with us at one of LA’s impressive rooftop restaurants/bars. Some of our favorites include EP & LP, Cabra at the Hoxton, or La Casita at the Figueroa Hotel. To finish off the trip, we’d spend a lazy Sunday soaking up some sun at the beach!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thomishia Booker- Hey Carter! Book https://heycarterbooks.com/ Our children’s book publishing mentor from start to finish.

Figueroa Street Elementary School. Our very own elementary school, where we (Co-Founders Crystal and Ingrid) met and the setting for our Soul Sisters book. Figueroa Elementary School has been a strong supporter of Black Girl, Brown Girl Books from the start. They purchased over 450 books, enough for each student and staff member to have their very own copy.

Human Rights Commission. Dr. Sheryl Davis, hosted our very first Authors Chat/Book Signing event in San Francisco and purchased the remaining books we had in stock. Resulting in us officially selling out of our first children’s book, Soul Sisters.

Tandem, Patterns in Early Learning. Our partnership with Tandem provided us with the opportunity to have our book, Soul Sisters included in the StoryCycle school-to-home book lending program that provides children with diverse books in order to create more opportunities for book-sharing experiences at school and at home. The selected books intentionally reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the communities we serve.

LAUSD utilized their funding to purchase hundreds of copies of Soul Sisters as a tool for educators, students and families to have age developmentally appropriate conversations about race, culture, diversity, differences and friendship.

Family and Friends have shown us unconditional love, encouragement and support from the very beginning.

Website: www.blackgirlbrowngirlbooks.com

Instagram: @blackgirl_browngirl

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BGBGBooks

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.