Yanique Redwood, PhD, MPH, Co-Founder and CEO

Yanique Redwood co-founded Sunkissed Girlz with her daughter Alana in response to the lack of media (i.e., books, television shows, Websites, magazines) designed to meet the unique needs of Black girls, particularly needs around caring for and styling natural hair. “Every time I tried to find a magazine for Alana, I was stuck with magazines where none of the girls looked like her. How could her self-esteem flourish when images of beauty didn’t include her? So, I decided to create something for her and girls like her. The first step was to design a Website that affirmed her incredible beauty, intellect, and creative energy and invite other girls to be a part of it. That Website is www.sunkissedgirlz.com.”

Yanique received her PhD in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2008. She also has a Master’s degree in Public Health from University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Georgia Tech. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and partner Ronnie Galvin and their two teenage children Alana and Darren.

Alana Jones, Co-Founder

Alana Jones co-founded Sunkissed Girlz with her mom Yanique Redwood. She wanted to find a fun way to meet other girls just like her and talk about issues related to being an African-American girl. “I like sunkissedgirlz.com because it’s a place where girls my age can do almost anything from playing online games to blogging about hair and fashion. This site is designed by girls for girls. That’s what makes it cool.”

Alana is 13 years old and in the 8th grade. She loves music, fashion, and going to the mall with friends. Her favorite subjects are Language Arts and Math. She excels in Language Arts because she loves to read novels and write short stories. She has read the Twilight series several times and is counting down the days until the New Moon movie premieres. She also loves Math because it is her most challenging subject. One day, she hopes to work in music, fashion, and modeling.

Aisha Penson, MEd, CHES, Editorial Director

Aisha Penson embraces the challenge of finding new ways to help girls realize their own power and strength. When she was asked to be a part of the Sunkissed Girlz team, she accepted without hesitation. “As a teenager, I wanted to blend in with society’s definition of beauty. I admired African-American women with straight, long hair and lighter skin complexions. I believed that in order to be successful in life, you had to fit in with those norms and the media’s portrayal of beauty. As an adult, I watch the constant battle that girls experience trying to mimic dominant beauty ideals, while still being rejected because of their skin color. I see a cycle that involves girls changing their look, hoping for acceptance, feeling rejected, and trying to change their look all over again. All the while, they don’t realize that acceptance comes from within. I believe each culture should set its own beauty standards, and Sunkissed Girlz will play a vital role in empowering Black girls to lead the way.”

Aisha graduated from the University of Georgia where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Speaking and her Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Behavior. She, her husband, and two sons live in Atlanta. Besides the love for her family, she finds motivation and strength through her relationship with God.

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Comments (4)

nia /jewels/gems: thanks

thanks so much u inspired me to not think about how i look and think about my future

1

February 07, 2010

Antalita Raynor: Thanks

I can't wait to introduce my 8 year old daughter to your website. She loves hair and fashion and together we are constantly on the search for new ideas and styles for our natural hair

2

April 12, 2010

kiana: editorial director

i know her.great website

3

June 01, 2010

teaysia/neisha: ...

Hi, me and my friend are two up-coming 8th graders, and we understand that as two dark skinned girls, life may try to throw challenges at us.We really want to thank you for giving us girls an opportunity to express how we feel in this world. Thx!

4

June 10, 2010

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