After relocating to Arkansas from Texas in 2008, Casey Gathright and her husband became aware of the need for foster and adoptive families. The two fostered off and on for a few years before finally adopting their youngest daughter, Kyla. As a Caucasian mom raising an African American daughter, Casey recognized the importance of ensuring her daughter embraced a sense of pride in her culture and race. This task became increasingly urgent in a city, nation, and time where racial tensions were at the forefront of every news media headline. To promote high self-esteem for young Kyla, Casey immersed herself in difficult and open conversations, lessons in haircare, and an active search for toys, books, and clothing that would cultivate positive African American role models. In her quest to teach Kyla, Casey learned something heartbreaking. While there was some representation, it quickly became apparent that African American children were vastly underrepresented. There needed to be more - more toys, more books, more characters, more cartoons, and more clothing so children of color could SEE THEMSELVES. This lack of representation sparked an idea, and that idea led to the development of a character. The Marvelous Macki Brown is based on Casey's youngest daughter, Kyla. Kyla is creative, sassy, and humorous. These traits and her capacity to love BIG, are all woven intrinsically into the book's main character, Macki Brown. When she's not busy attempting to corral three kids and two dogs, Casey enjoys traveling with her husband, working out at her favorite gym, and spending time with friends and family.
