If you can’t find it, create it!

Kimberlee West and Debra Raney both launch businesses to fill the gap and create positive black imagery for today’s children.

She was decked out in purple. She wore a purple blouse full of pink, blue and a violet flowers. Her backpack was purple too. The words beauty, fashion, fun, sparkle and sweet were plastered along the top half of her bag. She smiled and looked back over her shoulder for a picture. It was her first day of Grade 1 and Mackenzie Francis, 6, was proud of her new bag. She was especially proud of the image of Lela, a black ballerina with two large afro puffs also dressed in purple, displayed on the lower half of her bag.

Mackenzie Francis on her first day of Grade 1 Photo Credit: Kimberlee West

"Mommy, Lela looks like me!" Jachelle Francis, Mackenzie's mother recalled Mackenzie's reaction to her bag. “She was jumping, screaming, excited. I got it, I got it! And look, mommy, she looks like me."

Many businesses have been founded because of the lack of representation in business, media, toys, books, and apparel. Kids Swag, a one-stop shop for children’s products with positive black imagery was founded in December 2016 by Kimberlee West, 34, who after having her second child was having a hard time finding specific books.

Eventually, West was able to source black children books, mainly online. But, books weren't enough.

“In our home, her bed sheets, her curtains, anything sort of swag wise was some sort of Disney character or other TV show characters that didn’t reflect her. So, she was starting to have this view of what beauty was that didn’t include her self images.”

West decided it was time for a change.

“(After) going through the struggle of finding different products, I would post it on Facebook and friends and family would comment. Where do I get that? I want to get that too,” West said. “It made me realize I wasn’t the only one experiencing that struggle, and why should it be so hard to find these items?”

West decided to do it herself. She created a company that made it easy for people to shop for products with black imagery in one place.

“It was really about how do I make sure I bring it together so that people are being introduced to these amazing companies that I’ve found,” West said.

Little Muffincakes Baby Boutique is one of the companies West discovered. Little Muffincakes focuses on producing baby items with inspirational black imagery. Through Little Muffincakes, Kids Swag can sell baby blankets, sheets, bibs, and gift wrap.

Debra Raney, 45, owner of Little Muffincakes decided to do it herself when her grandson was born.

“Not seeing characters that represent him in the marketplace was the reason why I started Little Muffincakes,” Raney said.

Raney's research and having good credit helped build her confidence to take the leap and start her own business. However, she said getting started is the easy part.

"Being an entrepreneur takes perseverance, patience, and dedication. So they need to make sure that they gear up to handle the bumps and bruises along the way," Raney said. "They need to build a support system of business friends that will help keep them encouraged on those hard days. It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it."

After 10 months of research, preparation and $40,000 later Little Muffincakes opened for business in 2017 and is doing exceptionally well, with over 19,000 followers on Instagram.

Companies such as Kids Swag and Little Muffincakes are important because like Jesse Beason, Vice President of Public Affairs at Northwest Health Foundation said in a 2017 Ted Talk, representation matters! Beason grew up in a predominately white school but because of 1988 Star Trek, he believed he could conquer the world. Through Star Trek, he saw black characters who were engineers and who were looked upon for advice.

"Reflective representation inspires the new generation," Beason said. "It gives kids a sense of the possible."

The launch of the Black Panther movie is the perfect example of reflective representation in 2018 and, Michelle Obama said it perfectly in a tweet.

"Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team!" Michelle Obama said. "Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories."

Many black people didn't grow up seeing people who looked like them in a good light. Francis wants different for her daughter Mackenzie. She wants to ensure Mackenzie grows up with the self-worth, self-love, and confidence that she had to learn over time.

“I can’t remember a Christmas where I got a doll that looked like me," Francis said. " I got a lot of Barbies, I got a lot of dolls but they were Cabbage Patch, barbies, blondes with blue eyes and were very thin. You don’t realize that playing with these toys, watching these TV shows and (seeing) the way your culture or your ethnicity is presented has a negative connotation."

Francis said despite her struggles, she hopes that exposing her daughter to positive black imagery will build her confidence.

"It takes a while to take the wig off, it takes awhile to stop with the false hair and the false eyelashes. You have to get comfortable with it. Whereas our kids now are going to be comfortable with it for as long as they can remember. It will be second nature," Francis said. "Our children don’t have to get there over time, they’re being raised to be there. They’re being raised to be strong. They’re being raised to be empowered and love themselves."