Sometimes the message the world needs to hear isn't delivered by political leaders or big-name activists. No, sometimes the wisest, simplest words of peace and equality come from a six-year-old St. Louis girl in sparkly red boots.
Having internationally acclaimed vocalist Cyndi Lauper and the cast of Kinky Boots agree is just a bonus.
Harlow Rosenberg is a precocious child who loves robots, princesses, fashion and the award-winning musical Kinky Boots. After hearing the soundtrack about a shoe-factory owner who hopes unconventional footwear will save his business, Harlow became quite taken with drag queen Lola, one of the main characters who shares that she's had trouble getting acceptance from her father. A budding artist and YouTube star, Harlow drew a picture of Lola and filmed a special message, asking her dad Noah Rosenberg to send them to the character. In her video, Harlow says, "No one can tell you. You don't have to decide what they say. You can decide for yourself. It's your life!"
Rosenberg tweeted the drawing and video to Billy Porter, who plays Lola in the Broadway musical. Porter applauded Harlow and shared her art with his Twitter followers:
LOVE IT! "@nrose: @theebillyporter @KinkyBootsBway my daughter is really excited to see your show in June! pic.twitter.com/kVHux298no"
— Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) May 5, 2014Porter was so taken with Harlow that he shared her video again months later:
.@theebillyporter @kinkybootsbway Thanks Lola! Here's some video messages from her: https://t.co/aTIwgdCKd9 https://t.co/5YxWZOf1vo
— Noah Rosenberg (@nrose) May 5, 2014The excitement didn't end there. Rosenberg's wife was gearing up for a business trip to New York City, so the family tagged along for a vacation and for a viewing of Kinky Boots. Once again, Harlow asked Rosenberg to send a message to Lola, sharing that she'd be visiting her soon and wearing her "Lola" dress. To Harlow's delight, Porter responded enthusiastically.
"He's tweeted her a bunch of times -- pretty much anytime Harlow has a message," says Rosenberg, who is cofounder of local digital agency Happy Medium.
On page two, see how Cyndi Lauper makes Harlow's day.
