GrandMa Diva Style

11/07/2024

Let us not forget!

Black History Began with a Love Story

The love story of Antony and Isabella, two of the first 30 Africans brought to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, is a love story for the ages. Sold into indentured servitude, Antony and Isabella in 1623 welcomed their son, William Dawes, the first documented African-American. With William Dawes, African-American history began.

Award-winning author and storyteller Irene Smalls, MBA, a Harlem, New York native, brings this love story and much more to life. Smalls, author of 15 books, has lived through segregation, integration, the Black Power movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and today’s evolving conservative climate. Drawing from the 1940s Slave Narratives, she shares the richness of the Black experience, highlighting Black holidays and events in October, November, and December. Black history, as part of American history, spans all 12 months of the year. Did you know there’s a 200-year-old Black Christmas celebration rooted in African Masquerade traditions?

With her extensive research, background, and degree in Black Studies from Cornell University, Smalls delivers an unparalleled, visionary presentation on the history of African-Americans in the U.S.

Currently she is booking presentations for 2025. Learn more about Irene Smalls at www.literacise.com. Contact her at 617-651-0821 or via email at [email protected].

09/13/2024

Black History Month 2025: Save a Life!

Did you know that Black infants die at twice the rate of White infants due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)?

For Black History Month 2025, Let’s Save Lives!

Our nationally certified M/WBE company is seeking to partner with companies, schools, government agencies and organizations for a powerful 2025 Black History Month initiative: “Celebrating Black History’s Future Today,” focusing on safe sleep and literacy.

Our founder, a certified sleep consultant and children’s author, shares life-saving information on safe sleep practices in her award-winning book, “An Affirmation: Nite Baby Nite.” This initiative also promotes early literacy skills and fosters positive self-esteem, both crucial for success in school and life.

Please feel free to share this information with your networks and contacts.
For more details, visit our website: www.nitebabynite.com
Contact us via email at: [email protected] or call 617-651-0821.

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Watch our book video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VVqEW1Yq4Q

08/29/2024

Join us for 12 Hours of Wellness Training! Change Your LIFE!

08/23/2024

The Need for a Kitchen Table

Hair is a deeply significant aspect of Black women's identity. In the U.S., Black women spend over $2 billion annually on hair care products, according to Nielsen Reports in 2022—$2.29 billion, to be exact. Dr. Gloria Gilmer, a Black female mathematician, discovered that Black women literally have a "head" for math born of culture and repetition. Black girls spend a lifetime braiding hair. They braid their dolls' hair, their own hair and the hair of friends and family.

Dr. Gilmer conducted research on the advanced mathematical patterns found in African-American hair braiding. Hair Braiding can weave a bridge for Black women to enter lucrative Stem careers. While Dr. Gilmer’s research underscores the inherent mathematical abilities Black girls possess, their representation in high-paying STEM careers remains disproportionately low. According to the Pew Research Center and the American Institutes for Research, Black women make up only 2.5% of the entire STEM workforce, even though they represent about 6.4% of the overall U.S. workforce. Their representation in high-paying fields like engineering and physical sciences is even lower, with only 2% and 3% of these professions, respectively, held by Black women.

Moreover, there is a concerning trend where nearly half of all Black women in the U.S. are experiencing hair loss. The American Academy of Dermatology reports that half of all Black women are going bald. This hair loss, is often caused by traction alopecia from common hairstyling practices. This hair loss has serious psychosocial impacts. It affects self-esteem, body image, and mental health. Hair is not just a cosmetic concern for Black women; it is deeply intertwined with their identity and culture. When I grew up Black women on Saturday mornings sat around the kitchen table getting their hair 'did' for church on Sunday. At those kitchen table sessions proper Black hair care was taught, advice was given on what products to use or not to use on your hair and Black beauty was celebrated.

I did not realize the math lessons I was being given. Where is today's kitchen table?

07/25/2024

As a former Black beauty queen, print model, and one of the first Afro models in the 1960s, I am fascinated by the work of Black female mathematician Dr. Gloria Gilmer on Black hairstyles and Mathematics. http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/special/gilmer-gloria_HAIRSTYLES.html

Dr. Gilmer suggests, based on her research, Black women have a head for math.

Dr. Gilmer's papers were recently acquired by the Library of Congress

07/05/2024

Silver Savvy Internet Etiquette

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06/15/2024

Delighted to attend the Women in the Black Conference at Harlem’s newest hotel The Renaissance

06/09/2024

June is Black Music Month. I give you hat notes of Black history. Evetta Petty of Harlem's Heaven Hats was chosen as one of 12 hat designers in the world invited to attend the Royal Ascot, one of Britain's most well-known racecourses, Ascot holds a special week of races in June each year called Royal Ascot, attended by The King and Queen. Evetta will be attending as a guest of the Royal Family. She will be sitting in the Royal enclosure at the race. She is the first Black-American woman chosen for such an honor and the only American this year.

As Evetta says, "a great hat is like good music." Evetta signifys 'Harlem' in her 'Blue Note' named hat as a blend of the magical melody of Jazz and the Blues.

02/28/2024

Delighted to be sharing the love story that is Black history with the students of Mosaic Prep elementary School in Harlem, New York today.

02/19/2024

Delighted to be a guest on CBS Boston today

Black History is the story of a people who lived, loved and lasted.

Smalls joined the Mix to talk about her children's books on Black History Month and her activism efforts.

02/18/2024

A scoundrel, a lady of the evening, a slave owner, an explorer, businessmen, a washerwoman, a pigfoot cook and inventors all became wealthy in Black history. More to come.

02/17/2024

Black Children Who Changed Black History
William Tucker - 1623
The first documented African-American in the US
Ruby Bridges - 1960
She was the first African American child to attend formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana at 6 years old during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis. She was the only student in the school. She had to be protected to and from school and in school by US Marshals.
The Children’s Crusade - 1963
Students ages seven to 18 years old skipped school to march through downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Images of the peaceful protesters being hosed down and beaten by police reached the desk of President John F. Kennedy. This crusade became one of the major factors in the success of the Civil Rights Movement.