Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History Inspired Birthday

It’s no secret that it’s been a tough year for children. I wanted to do something at home for Lennon’s birthday to honor his heritage. Ever since he was a baby, we’ve been reading a page of Vashti Harrison’s “Little Legends, Exceptional Men in Black History” to him every night. Every night we focus on one individual and their accomplishments. As he is getting older, he starting to look forward to reading this book every night. When I had the idea to make this book a birthday theme for him, I wanted him to feel represented in a beautiful light. Representation is important; images help shape our identity.

The cover of the book was my inspiration. I worked with Moon Rising, an incredible designer that helped me recreate Lennon in the same style as the characters in the book. He was now front and center as an exceptional Black boy, soon to be man. Each child received a bookmark with a different character from the book and their name on the back. We also had library cards made so they can continue reading rest of the book series about exceptional people in history.

I kept the color scheme the same as the cover of the book, focusing on black, white, mint, and yellow stars. The florals created by Pavan Floral are stunning and working with her is always a pleasure. Her creations alway fit perfectly with my aesthetic. Janice Wong created our amazing desserts. We had a beautiful cake where she hand-painted the characters. The cookies featured the faces of the characters in the book and the cake pops had a printed image of the cover.

The star of the celebration was the incredible backdrop provided by Modest Peach. They recreated the cover and had life-sized cutouts of Black men in the book, such as civil rights leader John Lewis, standing on podiums. I want Lennon to always remember this day. I want him to know how special he is and how exceptional he is. My hope is for him to shoot for the stars.

A BBQ lunch catered by the incredible Sarah of Active Palate was the perfect meal. The children had mac & cheese cups and fried chicken sliders, while the adults had a BBQ spread. Adults were also treated to a beautiful grazing table put together by Cheese Pretty Please. Yummy green juice for the kids and sangria for adults by Nate Parker really complimented the meal. The photographs from this day were captured by the incredible Kara Coleen; her photos will help us remember this magical day.