Aiden Taylor, 12, author of "Me And My Afro": "I just wanted kids to love themselves"
NEW YORK - This Black History Month, a young New York City boy who found a special way to celebrate all that makes him unique is hoping to inspire others to do the same.
He shares his story with CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis.
In his own words, in his own book, Aiden Taylor takes us on a journey with his afro through New York City.
"Hi, my name's Aiden... and I have a really big afro," he read from his book. "Me and my afro go everywhere together... we go to the library together, we go to the store together."
"Me and My Afro" is a story celebrating uniqueness and self-love which Aiden wrote at just age 10, after getting made fun of for his hairstyle.
"I used to go back to my mom every day after school and was like, 'Why do people tease my afro?'" he said. "I wanted to write this book about my afro because mostly I just wanted kids to love themselves and love the way that they are."
Aiden approached his mother with the idea in the pandemic. He wrote the book and she published it in August, 2020.
"Everybody likes it. Even the people who teased my Afro really likes it," Aiden said.
"How does that make you feel?" DeAngelis asked.
"Well, it makes me feel like I accomplished something," he said.
So, the now 12-year-old wrote another book.
"This is basically about what you want to be when you grow up," he said. "I want kids to start thinking about the future now."
Sharing that message with young students during visits to schools.
"I love it," one student said.
He has had so much success with his first two books that's he's working on a third one which will be released in a few months.
"This is about like me cooking with my grandma," he said.
"How many books are you going to write?" DeAngelis asked.
"Like, 50-60," he said.
As he says: He has a big afro, but even bigger dreams.
"I really want to go to Harvard," he said.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" DeAngelis asked.
"I think I already achieved what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be an author and an actor," he said.
He's already in commercials, like a brand campaign with Spike Lee, and on a billboard. Sharing, he has learned, that it's what makes him unique that got him there.
"I love my afro. It makes me different, and it makes me me, and I love me," he said.
Hoping his books will inspire others to embrace what fills the pages with their stories.
His mother says some children don't know what an afro is, so the book offers many teachable moments.
With his two books combined, he has already sold about 10,000 copies.
He adds it was the death of one of his idols, Kobe Bryant, which made him want to work harder and start writing books. He says it's the "mamba mentality" and believes Bryant would think it was a big accomplishment.
For more information on his books, click here.
