Say My Name: A Book of Rhymes for Names Like Mine!

This book is here so all the Keishas, Ieshas, Jamils, Khalils, Marios, Muhammads, Mei-Meis & their mamas can stand up tall and tell somebody to Say My Name!

My name is Miles, and I think that’s a dope name - But that’s how I feel today. When I was a kid, I didn’t like the name ‘Miles.’ I was the only black kid in my class for most of Preschool to elementary school, and Miles didn’t fit enough stereotypes for what classmates expected of a kid like me. Then, when I got home, Miles sometimes wasn’t ‘black’ enough for the kids who did look like me. So, I used to make up new names to write on my school papers - sometimes I added new letters I liked, other times I just chose a brand new name altogether.

But then, I started writing raps and poetry, and I could rhyme Miles with anything: styles, trials, files, Simone Biles… and to be honest, making “Miles” fit into poetry helped me realize “Miles” fit just fine into real life. So I armed myself with the strength of this street knowledge and hit up my friend Kaylee Bender. She put her amazing illustration game to work and drew up what are now the characters of Say My Name, each with rhymes for the kids who share their unique names to embrace their creative potential!