>> Whether it's asking for a promotion or confronting the school.

Bully writer Luvvie Ajayi Jones has become an expert on overcoming fears.

And speaking up her books urge everyone to become what she calls a troublemaker or someone who pushes for positive change.

She's guiding adults, teens and lately even little kids, her latest children's book, Little Troublemaker, Defense.

Her name encourages kids to stand up for themselves and their unique names.

And joining us is the book's author luvvie Ajayi Jones and I too share a unique name.

Yes.

So we're in the same club.

Welcome back.

It is good to be in this.

Good close.

It is good to see OK?

So before we talk about our names, what does it mean to be a troublemaker?

Oh, my gosh.

I think to be a troublemaker in this world is to be somebody who wants to be a part of positive change.

>> Especially in an unjust war.

And if you're somebody who was challenging what's going on, you want to be a part of seen a change.

So that's what it means to be a troublemaker to be the one who is the truth teller in the action taker.

Sometimes people don't here.

So you may get a little bit of trouble for but it's necessary.

You know, like the late great John Lewis said we should be ready to make necessary good trouble.

I think that's required of all of us What do you think?

It's important that children learn to become a little troublemaker because I think we also teach kid something completely different, don't robust and trouble.

Yeah, I think the biggest trouble makers on little at that age, young, don't have any filter.

And honestly, they're pure.

>> And oftentimes we will abuse the the pure out of them inside out of them or punish out of them.

And I think we actually need to encourage them to use their voice fiercely.

Now they can use a thoughtfully, right, making trouble does not mean, you know, creating chaos, but you can do it thoughtfully not want the kids to know you can do it now because we haven't got that message to do it.

Now, right?

The book looks at how to respond when people mispronounce your name, which never happens to me or especially when your name comes from, you know, a unique cultural background.

talk about you know what that can be like sort of navigating being different and having a name that not everybody knows that it's a yeah.

So many of us know what it's like to walk in.

Sussex lag souvenir shop.

>> And never see our names at all.

And with that also comes the first day of school when the teacher mispronounced your name with a look down the role and they go to this is hard and we kind of carry those scars, even if it's in the back of our mind.

I think it's really important for us honor names, not just ours, but other people.

So Trump make a defense or name.

My goal is make sure kids recognize that you could actually insist when people pronounce your name.

Well, thoughtfully, you can stand up for and your name is always worth defending.

How do you what's your advice on politely correcting someone because you do it frequently.

I have to do it frequently, right?

That Ajayi always just to confuse.

I always say, hey, that's actually not how you pronounce it.

It's a jai so you could actually stop people say, you know what, it's OK?

You did not get it right.

But here's how you do it right, right?

Because it it falls on us, right.

And where I doubles making them uncomfortable.

They really it is okay to make that correction.

Give people a chance to get it right.

If we never assume always assume that they're going to get along, actually will always get So let's give them a chance to get it right and say, you know what, here's the fix.

Books also include several Nigerian references.

such as Dollar Nigerian yourself.

How does your identity influence your work on?

My gosh, my days everything about my work is influenced is how I even write it influences the way I create this character like this character black girl with the Fayed who has a strong name and that was important because I was that girl, you know, in coming to the U.S. now is 9 years old.

It was the first and other.

It's the first my foot 2 different.

And that's because I was Nigerian.

So this girl's mind, you and I did its part of her.

She has a little patch on the back pack, but the Nigerian flag and I've heard from teachers go a kid went, I've never seen a book with Delphi, Senate and even that is not a nation.

We also, you know, we don't frequently see a book like you said.

He's cute little girl Levy.

She's got the fade got, you know, the illustrations in the book.

Tell me about the importance of, you know, of the representation and getting the illustrations, right?

Yeah.

I want kids to see her in state.

She looks like or she reminds me of my cousin or oh, my gosh.

I also can have a short hair cut and still be confident and funny and hopefully feel loved.

Best thing about little Levy is I also builds joy into the way we illustrate this book is in the fabric of the way I wrote this book.

I want her to always Walk Away Love.

So when kids clothes, the pages they go, oh, wow.

She made a mistake.

She grew from it and she end up having amazing day.

This is your second children's book.

Yeah, Little trouble maker makes a man says right here again on 2023. do want to get into writing children's books.

Children need to be spoken to.

They representation.

They need to feel seen feel heard.

And that's actually my goal with this book Seas is that I want kids to always from the book feel like they got a good time.

They got a good lesson and feeling good about even when they make mistakes.

Because I think sometimes we define ourselves too much by the oops that we make.

So the thing about a little love, always make a mistake.

But you always learn and grow the book.

As we mentioned, the Bo follow Little Levy and her adventures or any of these, like specific to your own childhood to do happen, to make a mess in the kitchen for sure, because I was overconfident.

My problem with that.

But I can do everything.

So it's starts to learn.

Here's your boundaries.

I understand your confidence.

But you also need my help as an adult.

So it's teaching ways for us to model, you know, you can be confident.

But here's what you can learn.

More.

Can't let you go without, you know, getting a sort of your impression of the times we're living in.

Yeah.

How you're using your voice and, >> you know, as a black woman, I think a lot of folks, especially in this political season are wondering, are black women taking a back seat now already sitting down being quiet?

What's where are you on that?

>> We are not being quiet, but our fight is not always physical.

I don't think witnessed he protesting.

We need to be organized and with each other creating mutual aid networks, we need to be doing other top work.

I think people are so use a black women, putting things on our back on our shoulders and our physicality.

I think the fight of this moment for us is about us Benin, deeper community with each other.

People that we love and also preparing ourselves for.

If we have to take on more responsibility because people are losing their jobs.

If you can't pay their rent or their mortgage.

So I think black women's job right now is want to take care of ourselves take care of each other.

What's next for you?

More children's books.

More Moore go on.

Definitely does more little truck maker coming.

There's more books coming and I'm teaching people how to write their own books through my book Academy.

So my whole job is to make sure that the words that he to get out, get out, OK, let Jerry Jones, it's a pleasure to have you in here.

Thank you so much.

Thank