HOUSTON — This women’s history month, KHOU 11 News is highlighting trail-blazing female entrepreneurs from the Lone Star State, each with their own unique story and brand hoping to inspire the next generation.
Sometimes, for younger generations, it’s not always easy to find representation. Graceyn Hollingsworth, 11, is working to change that with the help of her family.
“She goes to school and she plays basketball. She has a lot of things she loves to do,” Graceyn’s mom, Arlene Gordon Hollingsworth said.
Another thing Graceyn loves to do is sing, and millions of people listen on her YouTube channel ‘Gracie’s Corner.’
“It's a show that makes it educational where kids can learn and feel inspired," Graceyn said. "That’s where they also feel representation.”
The YouTube channel has more than three million subscribers and it all started when the world was stuck at home in 2020.
“We have three kids, Graceyn and her sister and brother, who at the time were a lot younger," Arlene said. "And so, we had to find a way to keep them occupied so we could work. And during that time, our children were watching shows on TV, and we noticed that a lot of the things they were watching, educational things they were watching, did not have a lot of characters that look like them.”
From there, "Gracie’s Corner" kicked off. The educational videos include music, different characters, and even touch on topics like mental health.
“We get almost 130 million views per month, have millions of views, and so very fortunate,” Arlene said. “But I think why it really resonates with families is because people want their children to watch educational content.”
Although millions of people are now subscribed, it wasn’t always like that.
“It started off with us only getting views from family members,” Arlene said. “I remember like our first few videos, we would get like a hundred views and it's like, wow.”
Arlene said there was even doubt from others.
“There were people who were saying like, 'Why do you want to sing nursery rhymes? You should do something else. Like, is this going to catch on? Is it going to do well?'”
The mother-daughter duo said while the channel continues to grow, sometimes there are challenges in putting this all together.
“Making sure we tell a lot of stories. Particularly stories, you know, that show different places where people of color live. We'll have a video, for instance, that will show the Bahamas or show places in Spain where there are individuals who have melanin, you know,” Arlene said “And then (the) important thing is making sure we get it right, like doing research, talking to people.”
Arlene said the found success is a testament to being authentic and not giving up, which is a message Graceyn hopes to relay to others.
“Don't let anybody stop you and just keep your head high and stay humble,” Graceynn said.
Like a lot of young girls, Graceyn said there are women who have inspired her.
“I’ll put my mom first. Then for second, I’d say, probably Beyonce,” Graceyn said.
She’s happy to be a leader at a young age and hopeful for what her future holds. Maybe one day her name will be on someone’s list of women who inspire them.
“I hope that I accomplish many things, especially with my dad and my mom on the side with me. But I really do think lots of great things will happen,” Graceyn said.
Arlene is proud to be right by her daughter's side through it all.
“We have a lot of women who are fantastic leaders and you're definitely one of them. You're a leader in yourself,” Arlene said to Graceyn. “And so, I hope that you take away from this how fantastic you are and that you're built to do some amazing things. And the best is yet to come.”