Magazine gives black girls the spotlight they deserve- Metro Canada

Some of the contributors to the first issue of Black Girl’s Magazine, which launched Dec. 10. In a world where pop culture rules, black girls are almost invisible.

That’s what prompted the launch of Black Girl’s Magazine — created by black girls, aimed at young female readers.

Annette Bazira-Okafor is the driving force behind the new publication.

She was doing research for her post-doctoral studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education when she discovered that “in a world where corporate media, films, television programs, music genres and magazines aggressively target kids and teens, black girls remain indiscernible and underserved.”

At the same time, black girls are deeply immersed in pop culture, said Bazira-Okafor, who has a nine-year-old daughter.

“They consume it, they adore it and they live it.”

She’s been working on the magazine with a group of young girls from York Region, Brampton and Scarborough for the past few months, meeting regularly at her house in Vaughan to come up with stories covering everything from politics to travel.

Two editions have been published so far and are available at library branches in Toronto, Vaughan and Richmond Hill.

Itah Sadu has also promised to start stocking the magazine at her downtown Toronto book store, A Different Booklist.

For Uchechi Esonwanne, 9, one of the magazine’s contributors, the best part is the opportunity to hang out and listen to other black girls’ opinions.

“Usually the magazines we see are just white people,” she added.