The Story Behind No Scrub: My Black Skin Makes Me Beautiful

By Dane Kiambi

It was an ordinary school day when my four-year-old daughter, Ariana, came home with a shadow in her eyes. She hesitated, twirling the hem of her dress, before she finally whispered words that shattered my heart:

“Daddy, is it true that if I scrub my skin really hard, I can become white?”

I froze. My brilliant, confident, and full-of-life little girl was questioning the very essence of who she was. When I pressed gently, she told me that her friend, Jessie (not her real name), had made the remark—casually, as though it were a fact: If you scrub your hands with soap and water, you can be white like me.

For Ariana, this wasn’t just a passing comment. It planted a seed of doubt. It made her wonder if the world saw her beauty the way I did, the way I always wanted her to see herself.

Once confirming with Ariana that indeed the issue happened at school, I immediately contacted the school and filed a complaint expressing my deep concern.

See the email I (Ariana’s dad) sent to the school to report the incident and read the response from the school director and regional manager.

That night, as I tucked her and her twin sister Alexis into bed, I knew I had to act. I had to give my daughters something more than reassurance — I had to give them armor. I told them, “Alexis and Ariana, your Black skin is not something to wash away. It is your power. It is your beauty. And no one — not one person in this world — gets to tell you otherwise.”

The next morning, they walked into class with a new certainty. When asked what she had learned at home, Ariana stood tall and declared, “That my Black skin makes me beautiful.”

That moment stayed with me. It wasn’t just about my daughter. It was about every child who has ever been made to question their worth and beauty because of their skin, their hair, and other features — things that should be celebrated, not erased.

Ariana, left, and her twin sister Alexis holding copies of their new book!

That is why we wrote No Scrub: My Black Skin Makes Me Beautiful. It is more than a book. It is a love letter to every child who needs to know, beyond any doubt, that they are perfect just as they are. It is a message to every parent, educator, and caregiver to have these conversations — to ensure that no child ever feels they need to scrub away their identity.

My hope is that this thoroughly researched book will spark discussions in homes and classrooms. That it empowers children to embrace who they are. And that, one day, no child will ever ask the question that Ariana once asked.

Because the answer will already be in their hearts: They are beautiful. Just as they are.