WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Ever since she was old enough to pick up a book, Wesley Chapel's Janiah Hinds has been a history buff.
"Especially Black history," says mom Kerine Hinds.
Now 16, Janiah has turned that thirst for history into a popular apparel line and a way to celebrate Black empowerment.
"Something I really want to do now is reach younger generations," she says.
Today Janiah is wearing a T-shirt that reads: "The More We Know Our History, the More Powerful We Become."
It's part of her Slay It Proud clothing line, which is now shipping all over the country.
From a close-knit family of entrepreneurs, Janiah started Slay It Proud when she was 15. The world was angry, wrong. She craved change.
"I was in my room and I was thinking of the stereotypes people have of African-Americans," says Janiah. "And I wrote 'Black Does Not Mean...,' and that's how I came up with my first shirt."
That life-changing shirt, which is still a hot-seller, reads: "Black Does Not Mean...Uneducated, Criminal, Less Than, Suspicious, Lazy."
Janiah's mind is a constantly whirring machine, and she recently expanded her brand to include a historical coloring book, "I Love Black History," which celebrates influential leaders from all walks of life.
Her social media -- pictures, videos, stories -- are chock-full of history lessons, Janiah delivering everything with passionate flair.
She'll head to college in a couple of years, but she wants to keep the business, and her dedication to education and empowerment, going.
"The mission is something that will last my whole life," Janiah says.
For more on Janiah and Slay It Proud, go here.
