When they met at the University of Warwick when they were both 18, they did not know how far this friendship would go.
Now both at 26, Elizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke have written a manual for black women.
The book, Slay in Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible, is an inspirational guide for black women to be successful in all areas of their lives by offering them practical advice on education, dating and work.
Uviebinené and Adegoke had spent a year and a half in making sure that the book comes out right. They conducted research to ensure that they have captured the concerns of a cross-section of black British women.
“In the past year and a half, our lives have been dedicated to making sure we get this right. It’s been the most challenging thing we’ve ever done. I don’t know that I would have a book deal without Elizabeth,” Adegoke said in an interview with the Guardian.
The women of Nigerian descent- Uviebinené born in Nigeria and Adegoke in London to Nigerian parents- welcome the improved presentation of black women across the world, but acknowledged the need for more work to be done.
The book can be read by non-black women too.
“I think non-black people should read it to understand the experience of what it means to be a black woman. I have been reading books that have not been written for me all my life,” says Adegoke.
They both drew inspiration from a different place. For Uviebinené, her encounter with older women who had great accomplishments left a mark on her.
For Adegoke, the constant message from her elder sister, Yemisi, that black girls are beautiful gave her the confidence for life.
Slay in Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible earned them a five-figure deal and is set to come out on July 2, 2018.
