'I Am Beautiful:' Milwaukee book launch aims to empower young girls

'I Am Beautiful' Milwaukee book launch

An "I Am Beautiful" book launch at Alverno College aimed to celebrate and empower young girls on Saturday, July 27.

MILWAUKEE - A book launch at Alverno College aimed to celebrate and empower young girls on Saturday, July 27.

Local author Dionne Grayson wrote "I Am Beautiful." She hopes the story and Saturday's event help every girl affirm her inner beauty and resilience.

"Some of us have some little quirkiness about ourselves, some of us like to dress a certain way or maybe there's activities that we like doing that other people don't," she said. "It's absolutely OK to be that way."

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"I Am Beautiful" book launch at Alverno College

According to the World Health Organization, Grayson said, only 11% of girls worldwide feel comfortable using the word "beautiful" to describe themselves.

The girls who attended Saturday's book launch each got their own signed copy of "I Am Beautiful" and participated in STEAM career exploration labs with Black women small business owners.