During a class exercise, Kheris Rogers, from South Central LA, was told to draw herself and the teacher handed her a black crayon to which the youngster replied, “I am not that dark…I’m brown.” Not only was Rogers tormented by teachers, she also had to contend with her classmates bullying her as well. Although her mother removed her from the school, the problem persisted.
In an effort to cheer up her little sister, Taylor Rogers dressed up Kheris for a fashion shoot and shared photos on Twitter, posting, “My sister is only 10, but already royalty, “using the hashtag #FlexinInHerComplexion. The tweet went viral with over 30,000 retweets and counting, leading Rogers to take a negative and turn it into a positive, profitable business. With the creation of her fashion line that inspires confidence in young girls that share the same experience, Rogers has become the face of the movement to make sure that people see that all shades of black is beautiful.
https://twitter.com/TaylorAndrea_/status/846101800067379200
Recently Rogers’ mother sat down with the Little Revolution Magazine from the UK to talk about her experience as a parent and how she got her daughter into modeling. Check out excerpts from the interview as published in Little Revolution Magazine below.
It’s every parent’s nightmare finding out your child is being bullied. Dealing with bullying doesn’t just effect the victim, as a parent of a child being bullied you must have felt a sense of helplessness. How did you deal with your emotions?
This has been the most difficult years of our lives. I felt helpless, inadequate and emotional. I relied heavily on my village of family and friends to get us through this period of our lives.
Do you think there should be a program set up for parents to know how to deal with bullying and a child that is bullying others?
Definitely, I don’t think children understand the impact of teasing, picking on other children can have.
How did you discover or realize that your child was being bullied? Where there any specific signs?
I definitely noticed a change in Kheris’ personality, she spent a lot of time alone, very clingy and cried a lot when I would leave her. She opened up to her older sister before bringing it to my attention.
How did you approach talking to them your child about it?
Initially I took her to family counseling. I was so emotional, I needed a impartial person to help navigate the situation.
To read the article in its entirety, click here. Check out Rogers’ website FlexinInMyComplexion.com and see just how far inspiration can go! To follow Rogers journey on Instagram, click here.
