Black Butterfly Beautiful

A subscription box business that empowers, uplifts, and encourages young people of color to embrace who they are.

The Problem

People of color are often misrepresented in media, and the negative stereotypes that take hold shape not only mainstream society’s views of African Americans but African Americans’ views of themselves. Black youth are particularly susceptible to internalizing these negative views, and their self-esteem suffers. Meanwhile, too many young people of color are unaware of the rich and varied narrative of struggle and perseverance, creativity and contribution that defines African American history.

The Solution

Each month, Black Butterfly Beautiful sends subscribers a box created to “empower, uplift, and encourage young people of color to embrace who they are.” The contents of the boxes are based on the subscriber’s age (5 to 19), gender, and the month’s theme (recent themes have included dance, hair products, Hollywood, and the movie “Black Panther”). But they always include a book written by a black author and at least one product from a black-owned business. Founder Journi D'Khaos Prewitt, a Memphis-based teen entrepreneur, began the business with girls in mind. But she recently introduced a box for boys, called “Black Dragonfly,” and has plans to introduce non-binary box. Whatever the target audience, the boxes have the same goal: to encourage reading and “address underrepresentation, uncover black history, and provide inspiration.”