The rise in popularity of black mermaids in movies and books.

Less than two months before the anticipated release of the movie "The Little Mermaid" starring Hallie Bailey, a Trinidadian author has published a book that explores the lives of a black mermaid and a black pirate, setting out to achieve public recognition of the black mermaid in books and movies. "The Mermaid and the Pirate" by Tracy Baptiste is an ode to all the characters that existed in African and Caribbean folklore stories and have not been incorporated into popular Western culture. "I think there's been a lot of talk in recent years about the possibility of seeing yourself in a book," Baptiste told ABC News. "The idea of incorporating this type of literature into what I do is something natural and automatic for me .... You can't separate Caribbean literature from''West African literature because a lot of the stories, especially the folklore, come straight from West Africa. "

Tracy Baptiste has always wanted to be a writer since she was three years old. Her first book, called Jambi, was published in 2015. When she first started her career, Baptiste also worked as an elementary school teacher and a young mom.

In July 2019, the announcement that Bailey had been cast as Ariel in a live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" sparked counter-versions around the world, with viewers skeptical of the idea of a black woman playing the role of Disney's iconic character. While some viewers were puzzled about Bailey's role, there were also many ardent supporters of the actress' choice, as well as emotional and inspiring''viral videos of young girls who saw themselves in Ariel. "For two days I cried at night just looking at them in disbelief," Bailey told The Face in an interview this year, referring to videos of young black girls reacting to the movie's first teaser trailer.