ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A mother and daughter duo is changing the face of bullying with a book the two wrote together.
“As this book has continued to transition, the bullying aspect definitely comes out more. And it`s very important because nowadays you have young kids who are committing suicide because of the thoughts and the name calling and the bullying that occurs on a daily basis,” said Danielle Walters, co-author.
Jalynn Patmon, 7, remembers getting bullied and a time where she did not like her dark skin complexion.
“I was feeling sad when people didn`t understand me,” said the second grader.
“The comments that kids would say, ‘you`re a dark skinned girl, you`re a black girl and you`re a chocolate girl,’ and she took that as being something negative,” said Walters, her mother.
Walters came up with the idea to write a book about the young girl`s story to inspire other kids to fight back against bullying.
“My mission was for people to understand that no matter what your skin complexion is, you`re beautiful,” said Walters.
The book`s title, “Pretty from the Kink in My Curls to the Beat in My Step,” has helped Jalynn with her confidence.
“No matter what anybody says, you`re pretty from head to toe,” said Patmon.
It’s even made an impact on students at her school.
“Bullying is not good because it hurts people`s feelings,” said second grader Kwesi Coley. “I learned to be yourself no matter how you look.”
The two are hoping to write another book. They also plan to do more public speaking at schools about the effects of bullying.
“We have to back down those bullies. Even our bystanders. You can`t just stand there and watch. You have to step in,” said Walters.