Why these GTA middle school students created Black Girls Magazine

Annette Bazira-Okaforwanted her daughter to see herself in the magazines she would flip through and the dress-upappsshe would play with.

She recalls the nine-year-oldpicking up magazines at the grocery check-out and seeing "very little that represents her."

But she said she is not shocked by the fact there were few if any black girls in the material herdaughter would watch, read or play with.

"As a mother, Ihave seen it," Bazira-Okafortold CBC Toronto. "But Irealized it was something that was probably wayworse than I had actually thought it to be."

If blackgirls were not depicted in the magazines they read, then they should write their own,Bazira-Okafor thought. And so they did. Black Girls Magazine, a bi-annualpublication,catersto young girls and is written by them, too. A dozen girls, from the Greater Toronto Area, contribute to the magazine.

"The fact that theycan write and they can drawis a way for themto actually put their own stories, their own experiences, theirown images and representations into themainstream and validate who they are as black girls," she said.

"You open the pages and it has black girls on there and [it] makes them feel like they areimportant."

ChisomAgbakwa, who aspires to be a lawyer, said she can "count a lot more white people than I would find black people" in any popular magazine. She wants to change that.

"When we're making this magazine, it's for us to reach out to otherblack girls and to inspire other girls," the nine-year-oldsaid.

"I think it should be a little equal between races. In this magazine, we want to make that different."

They want to write about the things they are learning,the places they have been Nigeria and the United Arab Emiratesand the people they want to be. They are even creating a girlsuperhero.

On a Saturday afternoon, 10 girlscram onto red sofas in theCivic Centre Resource Library in Vaughan, Ont., to talk about their June 2017 magazine. Story ideas whiz back and forth.

Black Girls Magazine in York Region

8 years ago

Duration 1:01

A group of black girls launched Black Girls Magazine in York Region.

Kamara Bwejesa, 12, is learning to skate and writing about it is "encouraging me to reach my goals."

"If [other girls] are trying to do the same thing as me, they wouldn't give up in doing them."

CrystalSmith-Bwejesasaid she can already see positive change in her daughter.

"What I'm seeing is her being more outgoing and interactive, not onlywith all the girls but with other people."

"I think this process brings confidence to them;that people arewilling to listen to their storiesand what they have to say."

The girls say they enjoy honing their reading and writing skills.

"It's fun and it's difficult, especially editing is more difficult because you have to figure out stuff that will make it more interesting,"Agbakwasaid.

An epiphany

Bazira-Okafor said an epiphany of sorts came to her in her readings for her post-doctoral studies at theOntario Institute for Studies in Education. A particular excerpt in a book struck her: black girls "remain indiscernible and underserved" in the media they consume, it read.

"I just felt there must be something I can dotoget the girls involved and to get them to see themselves represented in this media that they so love to use and be a partof," she said of starting Black Girls Magazine, which she fully funds.

Eventually, Bazira-Okaforwants to go to printfour times ayear and is hopingtolandsponsors to finance the magazine.

She also encourages all girls to pitch stories and write.

Currently, the magazine, which started last June, is available atall Vaughan public libraries as well as a handful of libraries in Richmond Hill and Toronto.