Naima Small
Creator of Dear Dark Skinned Girl
Naima is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania from Connecticut who is passionate about issues facing Black women, particularly colorism. She aims to increase awareness and discussion around these topics through her writing. She started Dear Dark Skinned Girl to share the voices of black girls, because they are so often spoken over. She is always trying to educate herself on the world’s issues, and loves journalism because it allows her to do so. In addition to Dear Dark Skinned Girl, she is the Editorial Director for The Amendment Project, a student-led organization aimed at raising awareness and lobbying city councils for reparations for Black & Indigenous communities.
Yana Johnson
Writer
Yana is a junior at Heathwood Hall in South Carolina. Having attended PWIs and lived in the South for the entirety of her life, she was raised to appreciate and educate both herself and others on matters of race, gender, and class. She’d like to go into journalism when she’s older, and hopefully combine that with her desire to travel the world. Yana’s passions, aside from writing, include watching YouTube video essays, reading Letterboxd reviews, playing soccer, baking, and hanging out with friends.
Past Contributors
Awa Diop
Writer
Awa Diop is a Malian American, living in New York, who has taken a big interest in writing as she continues to observe the complexities of her world. She hopes to explore and reflect on her own impact as well, as she continues to grow and change. She loves reading books, and dibbles in painting every once in a while. She has also been crocheting, cooking and spending a lot of time with family during quarantine.
Jada Grant
Writer
Jada is a current junior living in New York. She wanted to become a writer for Dear Dark Skin Girl because her experiences attending a PWI have allowed her to learn more about and appreciate her identity and blackness. She finds writing about her identity to be healing, and is passionate about issues relating to BIPOC communities such as prison reform and education inequalities. Jada loves a good documentary and loves finding new music to listen to. She runs track, enjoys photography and loves spending time with her friends above all
Winifred Matanmi
Writer
Winifred Matanmi is a sophomore at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia. Winifred is passionate about feminism and women in STEM. She always works to educate herself on all national issues, especially those affecting cultural and ethnic groups that are often overlooked and ignored. Winifred plans to study chemical engineering in college, and she hopes that she can help in paving the path for young black girls interested in STEM. She believes that black women are an unstoppable force of nature who have been unappreciated and devalued for far too long. With that being said, Winifred hopes that her writing pieces with Dear Dark Skinned Girl will educate people and empower young black women. Her goal is to ensure that black women are recognized for their excellence and commended as smart, hard-working individuals that can make a difference in the world. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends, and exploring different forms of art.
Petiri Ira
Writer
Petiri is a Race, Society and Culture writer who writes opinion pieces and personal essays on the realities of marginalised groups in society. Her aim is to identify the issues and injustices we have to face and aims to educate society on these complexities through her articles. Petiri adds her own personal experiences to her pieces to add a first-person perspective to the story and provide actionable steps for the reader to takeaway. She believes that this will help society move towards progression and bring about much-needed change. When Petiri is not writing, she enjoys watching basketball and listening to podcasts and music.
Current Writers
Yvonne Agyapong
Writer
Yvonne Agyapong is a rising senior at Union Catholic Regional High School in New Jersey. She is Ghanaian-American and hopes to one day become an international human rights lawyer. Yvonne is deeply interested in social justice, intersectional feminism, intersectionality, and the specific effects it has on women of color. Inspired by the Black women in her life like her many older sisters, she hopes to use her writing to bring attention to the often overlooked experiences of Black women around the world. Yvonne loves film, food, and fashion!
Dear Dark Skinned Girl 