Dear Beautiful Brown Girl is more than a boutique—it's a movement to celebrate identity, culture, and confidence in every young girl who dares to be herself."
Dear Beautiful Brown Girl® is a storytelling brand dedicated to empowering and uplifting Black and Brown girls through books, creative expression, and community experiences.
Rooted in representation and identity, the brand creates meaningful content that celebrates culture, builds confidence, and strengthens connection.
Dear Beautiful Brown Girl® was created out of a deep need for representation, affirmation, and empowerment for Black and Brown girls. Founded by Kathleen Wainwright, a seasoned educator and writer, the brand exists to fill the gap in children's literature and media where girls of color are often underrepresented or misrepresented.
As a teacher who has spent decades in classrooms and a writer passionate about storytelling, Kathleen witnessed firsthand the impact of cultural disconnects and lack of identity-affirming resources on young girls' self-esteem, literacy engagement, and confidence. Dear Beautiful Brown Girl® was born to change that narrative.
Through our imprint under Willa's Tree Publishing, we've published impactful titles such as:
Summer in the City, Love Your Selfie: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching and Using Affirmations, Ziggie Tales and countless journals.
In addition to books, we extend our mission through interactive workshops, book circles, and community events, as well as digital storytelling on our BeYOU TV YouTube channel. Each initiative is designed to affirm identity, foster creativity, and build community.
At its core, Dear Beautiful Brown Girl® is more than a product—it’s a movement, cultivating a generation of girls who are proud of who they are, confident in their voices, and inspired to write their own stories.
Watch BeYOU TV
BeYOU TV is an inspiring YouTube series that amplifies the voices of influential brown girls and women who are boldly shaping their communities. Through candid interviews and authentic storytelling, each episode shares powerful journeys, meaningful insights, and valuable wisdom—encouraging viewers to embrace their identity, chase their dreams, and confidently BeYOU.
Shop the BeYOU Boutique
The BeYOU Boutique is the signature shop of the Dear Beautiful Brown Girl® brand—where purpose meets product. Every item in our boutique is thoughtfully designed to affirm, inspire, and celebrate the brilliance of Black and Brown girls.
Learn more about our workshops and activities
Our interactive workshops, engaging programs, and inspiring activities are thoughtfully designed to empower, educate, and uplift beautiful brown girls. Through mentorship, creative expression, leadership training, and meaningful conversations, we create safe spaces that nurture self-love, resilience, and confidence.
Meet the BeYOU Crew
The BeYOU Crew are the bold, brilliant, and beautifully unique main characters at the heart of the Dear Beautiful Brown Girl® brand. They’re more than just faces on a page—they’re ambassadors of confidence, culture, and creativity. Each girl in the Crew brings her own style, voice, and personality, representing the many ways Black and Brown girls show up in the world.
Inspired by my nieces and the incredible girls I’ve had the honor of teaching over the years, these characters were created to reflect the real-life strength, sparkle, and spirit I’ve seen in classrooms, communities, and everyday moments. While the Crew highlights a few special personalities, every Beautiful Brown Girl is seen, valued, and celebrated in our stories.
Together, The BeYOU Crew reminds us all that there is no one way to be powerful—and that being yourself is always enough.
About the Founder
Kathleen Wainwright – Educator. Writer. Visionary.
Kathleen Wainwright is the founder of Dear Beautiful Brown Girl®, a storytelling brand created to celebrate, affirm, and empower Black and Brown girls through books, creative expression, and community experiences.
With over 23 years of experience as a passionate educator in the City of Philadelphia, Kathleen saw firsthand the lack of authentic representation and affirming narratives available to the girls she taught. In response, she launched Dear Beautiful Brown Girl® in 2018—a brand rooted in the belief that every girl deserves to see herself reflected with pride and power.
As a National Board-Certified Teacher, Certified Reading Specialist, Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner, and Instructional Coach, Kathleen brings deep literacy expertise to every book, journal, and program the brand produces. She is also the owner of The Lightbulb Learning Center, a private tutoring practice based in West Philadelphia, where she continues her mission to spark confidence and achievement in every child she serves.
Through Dear Beautiful Brown Girl®, Kathleen combines her love of writing, education, and cultural empowerment to create stories, characters, and experiences that remind girls they are seen, valued, and beautifully enough—just as they are.
learn about Dear Beautiful Brown Girl's Initiatives
