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7-Year-Old Wins $16K for Comic Book Series Empowering Black Girls

Natalie McGriff, a 7-year-old girl from Jacksonville, Florida, recently won more than $16,000 for her comic book, The Adventures of Moxie Girl, that empowers young girls to turn their flaws into superpowers.

Many women would agree that they'd wish Moxie Girl was around when they were girls. In the comic book created by young creative mind Natalie McGriff, Moxie Girl becomes empowered after embracing what she believed was a beauty flaw.

The character starts off not loving her afro-textured hair, but after her curls develop superpowers, she uses them to save the Jacksonsville Public Libraries that are being attacked by monsters that want to demolish them, the New Pittsburgh Courier reports. 
The 7-year-old's book won $16,000 at a crowd-funding festival called One Spark on April 12. She competed with 530 entries for the contest. The book is based on her own experience of facing low self-esteem because of her hair, her mom, Angie Nixon, said. 
“I decided to help Natalie write this book because she was having self-esteem issues regarding her hair and she hated to read,” Angie said in a statement. “She now realizes how powerful and awesome her hair is and that in order for her to write a cool book, she needs to read more books and learn different words.”
In a world that doesn't always appreciate Black beauty, this comic book will give more Black girls the power to see themselves as magical. 
Follow Natelege Whaley on Twitter: @Natelege_

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(Photo: The Adventures of Moxie Girl Project via One Spark)

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