Sunne's Gift

Ms. Yawson earned a BA cum laude in Social Studies from Harvard University, an MBA from the Wharton School and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Her unique understanding of social issues, business and the law has enabled her to become a relevant voice on issues as varied as race relations, women's issues, dating, parenting, self-love, hair-bullying and entrepreneurship. Her articles have been published in MSNBC's The Grio, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic, Madame Noire and other publications. Ms. Yawson has also appeared on the Today Show, Al Jazeera's The Stream, The Nate Berkus Show and Fox Business. In 2013 a painful experience in which a barber called her that her son a real "nig***" and said that his hair was not pretty and should be shaved off inspired Ms. Yawson to venture into writing children's books. Her first picture book, Sunne's Gift is about a magical being (magbee) with spirally hair that grows toward the sun named Sunne. Sunne's three straight-haired siblings, who also have magical powers, poke fun of Sunne's hair. Sunne starts beating the spirals of hair to fit in, but as a result... With this story, Ms. Yawson hopes to affirm afro-textured hair while promoting a culture of love and acceptance in which readers learn that there is beauty and power in difference and that celebrating diversity is not just "nice to do," it is essential for our survival. Ms. Yawson currently works as a securities lawyer and she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. She is also the co-founder of Joojos, an artisanal children's shoe company.