Phyllis Hodges detested history as a young girl, only to embrace it years later.
“When you say history, you’re looking at the past. Several individuals are deceased, and back in the day as a young African American female, when I saw people who look like me, they were downtrodden, didn’t have anything and it was horrible, so I didn’t like the story,” she said.
After much prayer, she said, Hodges did her own research into what she calls living history — delving into the lives of those who have not passed away.
The Little Rock author visited local school superintendents and mayors in Pine Bluff and White Hall on Friday as part of her book tour for “8 Years of Unforgettable History,” “Girl Power” and “Girl Power 2.” The series is purchased in about 65 Arkansas school districts, she said. Hodges’ books encompass five subjects: living, current, Arkansas, American and African American history.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Art portraits of Hodges and her mother, Rose — Hodges’ first teacher — are designed on the back of the “Girl Power” books, along with portraits including Beyonce, Ellen DeGeneres, Princess Meghan, Jennifer Lopez, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. In the middle of the portraits is a drawing of a mirror, which Hodges says is designed to encourage readers not to be like others and discover who they are – the purpose of her series.
“Look in the mirror. You are beautifully, wonderfully made, smart,” Hodges said. “You don’t have to be an author, but you may decide you want to be an artist. You may decide you want to be an illustrator. There are so many angles that come at you when you read this book.”
Calandria Breaux, a fashion designer from New Orleans, toured with Hodges, who was wearing a jacket and carrying a briefcase inspired by the books that Breaux created.
“There are the people who are on the covers of the books, but the people in the book are the ones people should focus on,” Breaux said.
Aside from the celebrities, the stories of important Arkansans such as presidential diarist Janis Kearney, former Little Rock Mayor Lottie Shackelford and Little Rock Nine member Thelma Mothershed-Wair are told. Mothershed-Wair died in October, shortly before the release of “Girl Power 2.”
“Everybody has a story, so your story is going to turn into your legacy,” Hodges said. She pointed to an area in one of the books where one can jot down family history and marriage information, for example.
“That’s why we call each book a keepsake,” Hodges said.
“8 Years of Unforgettable History,” released in 2018, covers Barack Obama from his senatorship in Illinois through his two terms as president (2009-17). “Girl Power” was released in 2020, followed by “Girl Power 2” four weeks ago. Hodges, a licensed fitness trainer and minister, and her husband, sold their fitness business one year before “Girl Power” after receiving instruction from the Lord, she said.
Some of the stories in “Girl Power 2” are translated into other languages including Hindu, the latter a nod to the heritage of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent. Harris shares the cover of “Girl Power 2” with Supreme Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“Our new Vice-P in 2025 (JD Vance) is married to an Indian-slash-Hindu, so now you’ve just purchased a book in Little Rock, Arkansas, about girl power and you can read Hindu? It’s nothing but a God thing,” Hodges said.
Details on the series: doyouphylme.com.