Standing Up for Diversity

Kheris Rogers was in first grade when she started getting bullied for her dark skin. Classmates called her a “dead roach” and told her that she’d been left in the oven too long. Adults made her feel self-conscious about her skin color too.

“My teacher gave me a black crayon to color a self-portrait instead of a brown one,” says Kheris, now 14. “It made me uncomfortable.”

What Kheris experienced is known as colorism—and it can happen to people of many different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Colorism is a form of discrimination based on skin tone, in which people with lighter skin are viewed more favorably and given more advantages than people with darker skin. It often occurs among members of the same racial or ethnic group.

“I didn’t even know what colorism was,” says Kheris, who lives in Los Angeles, California. “I just wondered, Why am I being bullied by people who are the same race as me?”

Kheris’s family noticed that the bullying was affecting her self-esteem. So in the spring of 2017, her older sister, Taylor Pollard, posted a photo of Kheris on Twitter with the hashtag #FlexinInHerComplexion. It was their grandmother’s favorite phrase of encouragement—a way to remind the girls to love themselves just as they are.

Pollard’s post went viral, with more than 30,000 retweets in just a month. Many people commented on the post to share their own experiences of colorism.

“So many people told me they went through the same thing,” says Kheris. “That’s when I knew this was bigger than me.”

Kheris Rogers was in first grade when she started getting bullied for her dark skin. Classmates called her a “dead roach” and said she had been left in the oven too long. Adults made her feel self-conscious about her skin color too.

“My teacher gave me a black crayon to color a self-portrait instead of a brown one,” says Kheris, now 14. “It made me uncomfortable.”

What Kheris experienced is known as colorism. It can happen to people of many different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Colorism is a form of discrimination based on skin tone. People with lighter skin are viewed more favorably and given more advantages than people with darker skin. Colorism often occurs among members of the same racial or ethnic group.

“I didn’t even know what colorism was,” says Kheris. She lives in Los Angeles, California. “I just wondered, Why am I being bullied by people who are the same race as me?”

Kheris’s family noticed that the bullying was affecting her self-esteem. So in the spring of 2017, her older sister, Taylor Pollard, posted a photo of Kheris on Twitter. She added the hashtag #FlexinInHerComplexion. That was their grandmother’s favorite phrase of encouragement. It was a way to remind the girls to love themselves just as they are.

Pollard’s post went viral. It got more than 30,000 retweets in just a month. Many people commented on the post to share their own experiences of colorism.

“So many people told me they went through the same thing,” says Kheris. “That’s when I knew this was bigger than me.”

To spread her message of empowerment, Kheris decided to make shirts with the phrase “Flexin’ in My Complexion” written in big, bold lettering across the front. 

“I wanted to create something that would help others love their skin color and love themselves,” she says.

With the help of her sister and a $100 investment from their mom, Kheris printed two dozen shirts with the catchphrase, then set up a website selling the shirts for about $20 each. They sold out in just a few minutes! So Kheris and her sister went to work making more shirts in the family’s garage.

Later that year, Kheris was invited to participate in New York Fashion Week, a world-renowned series of fashion shows. In September 2017, at age 11, she made history by becoming the youngest designer ever to debut a clothing line there, showcasing her T-shirts, tank tops, and more.

Soon, Kheris’s designs had caught the attention of celebrities including Beyoncé, LeBron James, and Alicia Keys. Actress Lupita Nyong’o posted a picture of herself on Instagram wearing one of Kheris’s shirts, and Lena Waithe, a writer, producer, and actress, sported one of Kheris’s designs onstage at an event.

Kheris wanted to spread her message of empowerment. So she made shirts with “Flexin’ in My Complexion” written in big, bold lettering across the front.

“I wanted to create something that would help others love their skin color and love themselves,” she says.

With her sister’s help and $100 from their mom, Kheris printed two dozen shirts with the catchphrase. Then she set up a website selling the shirts for about $20 each. They sold out in just a few minutes! So Kheris and her sister went to work making more shirts in the family’s garage.

Later that year, Kheris was invited to take part in New York Fashion Week. That is a world-famous series of fashion shows. In September 2017, at age 11, she made history: She became the youngest designer ever to debut a clothing line there. She showcased her T-shirts, tank tops, and more.

Soon Kheris’s designs had caught the attention of celebrities such as Beyoncé, LeBron James, and Alicia Keys. Actress Lupita Nyong’o posted a picture of herself on Instagram wearing one of Kheris’s shirts. Lena Waithe, a writer, producer, and actress, wore one of Kheris’s designs onstage at an event.

Today, Kheris and her sister are co-chief executives of their company, Flexin’ In My Complexion, which sells shirts, hoodies, backpacks, and other items. In addition to the phrase that started it all, they’ve sold merchandise emblazoned with the sayings “Coolest Queen in the Universe,” “Coolest King in the Universe,” and “The Miseducation of Melanin.” (Melanin is the substance in the human body that partly determines people’s skin tones.) So far, Kheris’s company has brought in more than $191,000 in sales.

As her business has grown, Kheris has received more and more opportunities to spread her message. She has appeared in a Nike ad, voiced a character on the animated Nickelodeon TV show Middle School Moguls, and signed a deal with Columbia Records as part of a girl group called Run the World. 

Kheris wants to keep expanding her company and has set her sights on working with other Black-owned brands in the future, including Fenty by Rihanna and Ivy Park, co-founded by Beyoncé.

Today, Kheris and her sister are co-chief executives of their company, Flexin’ In My Complexion. It sells shirts, hoodies, backpacks, and other items. Along with the phrase that started it all, they have sold things emblazoned with the sayings “Coolest Queen in the Universe,” “Coolest King in the Universe,” and “The Miseducation of Melanin.” (Melanin is the substance in the human body that partly determines people’s skin tones.) Kheris’s company has brought in more than $191,000 in sales so far.

As her business has grown, Kheris has had more and more chances to spread her message. She has appeared in a Nike ad and voiced a character on the animated Nickelodeon TV show Middle School Moguls. Kheris als0 signed a deal with Columbia Records as part of a girl group called Run the World.

Kheris wants to keep expanding her company. She has set her sights on working with other Black-owned brands in the future. These include Fenty by Rihanna and Ivy Park, co-founded by Beyoncé.

At the same time, Kheris continues to speak out about colorism and bullying. She has given talks at youth conferences and schools and remains active in discussing those topics on social media. She’s heard from people all over the world, including from as far away as India.

“I receive messages daily from people of all ages and different backgrounds telling me that they thank me for sharing my story,” she says.

What advice does Kheris have for kids who are going through similar experiences with colorism or bullying? 

“It isn’t about your skin color. Your beauty is in how you view yourself,” she says. “We need to uplift each other.” 

At the same time, Kheris still speaks out about colorism and bullying. She has given talks at youth conferences and school. She also remains active in discussing those topics on social media. She has heard from people all over the world, including from as far away as India.

“I receive messages daily from people of all ages and different backgrounds telling me that they thank me for sharing my story,” she says.

What advice does Kheris have for kids going through similar experiences with colorism or bullying?

“It isn’t about your skin color. Your beauty is in how you view yourself,” she says. “We need to uplift each other.”