If you are not hip to the Just Like Me subscription box, then you are truly missing out on an amazing educational tool created specifically for children of color. Mompreneur, Tamara McNeil, is a wife, mother of three, and the Founder & CEO of Just Like Me. Just Like Me is monthly subscription box built for black children of all ages featuring two to three, brand new books with African American characters, stories, and authors who are reflective of them.
Tamara launched this brand in May of 2016, while working a full-time job. She was inspired to create the subscription box after searching through a limited selection of children’s books with actual black characters. In an interview with Black Enterprise, Tamara explained, “I identified a void that needed to be filled. Black children need to read stories with characters that reflect them. They need to see that they are beautiful and can be doctors, ballerinas, or whatever their glorious minds can conceive. We all know that you can’t be what you can’t see, so exposure is key. I believe that most parents want to expose their children to something greater. Books are an affordable way to do that.” (Black Enterprise, 2016)
There are so many beautiful reasons why Just Like Me is so unique. It is important to know that this subscription advances with your children, providing age appropriate reading and materials as they grow older. Each month also includes a specifically themed box, full of books, delivered right to your doorstep. Additionally, after selecting your child’s age range, you have additional options to pre-pay for either 3 to 6 months making this subscription a perfect gift idea for moms.
Not only is Tamara creating a learning space for black children, she is also utilizing her brand to support black authors. In a recent interview with VoyageATL, she explained, “I also hope to bring exposure to independent, African American authors by featuring their book(s) in our box. A lot of the authors I feature do not have big publishing companies to publicize their books and they are working with extremely low budgets, but their books are amazing. I hope we can help them as much as we can.” (VoyageATL, 2018)
Educational, inspirational, and affordable, the Just Like Me subscription box serves as a creative way to build a community of young, black readers and also train their young minds to see that they can do whatever their hearts desire. If you have not checked out the Just Like Me Subscription box, here is how you can learn more:
- Website: JustLikeMeBox.com
- Instagram: @justlikemebox
- Facebook: facebook.com/justlikemebox
- Twitter: @justlikemebox