Meet the woman on a mission to bring diversity to her store's bookshelves: "We don't want any child to feel isolated"
Step inside Kido children's store in Chicago and it is the book covers that greet customers that get the attention of all who walk in. That's because at Kido, the faces on books are Black and brown and include protagonists you do not usually see, like a girl in a wheelchair or a mom in a hijab.
The books garner an emotional reaction from both kids and adults, said the store's owner, Keewa Nurullah.
"We get a lot of gasps from children," Nurullah told CBS News' Adriana Diaz. "We've had parents and adults cry."
Nurullah said each cover is chosen to ensure all children feel heard and seen.
"We want every kid to feel reflected, to feel seen, to feel included. Kids with disabilities, kids who are growing up in foster care or have been adopted or whose parents are going through a divorce," Nurullah said
The books in her store include "Queer Heroes: Meet 53 LGBTQ Heroes From Past and Present!," "Hair Love," and "The ABCs of Black History."
"They all have lessons to be learned in each book. So it's really nice," a boy named Jack said.
Customers like Angela come for the store's inclusivity and community.
"Ryan has two beautiful, brilliant mothers, and we have an exceptional daughter and we want her to be represented in the books that she sees," Angela said.
Nurullah got into this work as a new mom. She struggled to find clothes that reflected her family, so she started designing her own onesies — and an entrepreneur was born. She had no business background but did have experience working as a performer, including playing Tiana, the protagonist of Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," at Disneyland.
"Even in my performing career, you're always thinking about your representation on stage and what that could mean for a little kid who wants to sing and dance too," she said.
Nurullah came from a family of entrepreneurs, including her great-grandfather who owned a tailor shop on Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were forced to flee during the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. Her great-grandfather later relocated his family to Chicago's South Side.
"When I was growing up, I knew this part of my history, but no one else did. We didn't learn about it in school. The fact that my great-grandfather had a business on Black Wall Street is special, it's unique, you know, that is like Black royalty almost. And I do try to uplift his legacy and you know to live up to that foundation," she said.
That legacy continues at Kido, where she hopes to inspire future generations to thrive.
'We don't want any child to feel isolated in their experience. We want them to come into the store and say, 'Oh, wait, like, I'm not the only one,'" said Nurullah.
