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In celebration of Black History Month every February since 2017, Seattle resident Cristi Smith-Jones has posted daily photos to Twitter of her daughter, Lola, celebrating Black history and culture by dressing up as important Black figures from history and re-creating images from culturally important works of art and literature.
Smith-Jones told CNN in 2017 that the idea sprouted when then-5-year-old Lola came home from kindergarten and told her parents what she had learned about civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., in school. The savvy parents were inspired to find a fun way for their daughter to connect to history on a deeper level. They decided to use Lola’s love of dress-up, and Smith-Jones’ photo project launched on the first day of Black History Month in 2017 with a photo of her daughter dressed as Nina Simone.
Doing a Black History Month photo project w/ my 5 y.o. One photo recreated of one incredible black woman every day in Feb. This was Day 1. pic.twitter.com/I40PEZklO2
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) February 3, 2017
In 2017, the series focused on important Black women exclusively — from the first Black female astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison, to poet Gwendolyn Brooks and Rosa Parks.
Day 7. Black History Month photo project. #maejemison #blackhistorymonth #firstblackwomanastronaut pic.twitter.com/WRLiK1tuld
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) February 7, 2017
Day 10. Black History Month photo project. #RosaParks #blackhistorymonth #blackgirlsrock #blackhistoryisamericanhistory #blackgirlmagic pic.twitter.com/dxFdOTiSlQ
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) February 10, 2017
Here she is in 2017 as ballerina Misty Copeland, the first Black woman to be promoted to principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre’s history:
Day 2 of Black History Month photo project with my 5 y.o. Thank you, @mistyonpointe for being such an inspiration. pic.twitter.com/Php6F5pa8R
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) February 3, 2017
Starting in 2018, Smith-Jones switched it up slightly. She and Lola started honoring Black men in addition to women, and they put a focus on the products of Black culture such as books, plays, paintings and poems, dressing Lola up as characters from works of art as well as real people.
Here she is dressed as Shuri from “Black Panther”:
Day 15 of #BlackHistoryMonth is dedicated to #BlackPanther It's not just a film, it's a phenomenon! #RepresentationMatters Lola was so excited to portray #Shuri! #Wakanda @letitiawright Thank you for bringing Shuri to life and giving little girls another great role model. pic.twitter.com/aUAykKadXt
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) February 15, 2018
She kept up with the photos series in 2018 and 2019, and in 2020, Smith-Jones resurrected it for the first two days of February.
On Feb. 1, she tweeted her daughter styled as pop icon Janet Jackson as a child, whom she has been told Lola resembles a younger version of, and Feb. 2 paid tribute to Mamie Smith.
Happy #BlackHistoryMonth!
We've been told numerous times that Lola resembles her younger self, so we've decided to pay tribute to the cultural icon and multitalented Queen of Pop, whose career spans decades, #JanetJacksonhttps://t.co/OCEPU34qNLhttps://t.co/2G2B3cVCGw pic.twitter.com/L16AL02541
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) February 1, 2020
On Feb. 3, Smith-Jones tweeted to let her followers know that she may not be continuing to share photo recreations, but she would still share photos and stories highlighting Black culture on a daily basis throughout the month. She also noted that she would have some exciting news to share soon:
***Announcement! I have some exciting news to share soon, but in the meantime, you may not see new photo re-creations. But we want to continue sharing and celebrating Black History, so we'll still be sharing inspiring stories daily and putting the spotlight on Black culture.***
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) February 3, 2020
In 2021, the news was out — Smith-Jones partnered with Rochelle Riley to create a book, “That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed The World,” that features those photos of Lola paired with inspiring figures from Black history along with similar images of Riley’s grandson, Caleb. The book’s goal, according to the publisher, is “To teach children on the cusp of puberty that they could be anything they aspired to be, that every famous person was once a child who, in some cases, overcame great obstacles to achieve.”
That They Lived reminds readers that important figures were all once children. @rochelleriley's inspiring words teach kids history & that they too can grow up to change the world! Out Feb. 2!
Pre-order: https://t.co/Ho5wGqwr5ahttps://t.co/wtkAnWCjKOhttps://t.co/w9V4ynLHqw pic.twitter.com/0ZvsFKzDHE
— Cristi Smith-Jones *Order 'That They Lived'!* (@MsKittiFatale) January 11, 2021
The book is out Feb. 2.
It’s been exciting to see how this project has evolved!