LaFaye Baker Is Amplifying the Voices the World Keeps Ignoring

There are some stories that don’t just ask to be heard, they demand it. For LaFaye Baker, that demand has been decades in the making. Long before she stepped into her role as an author, Baker was already navigating spaces that weren’t built with her in mind, breaking barriers as one of the few Black women working behind the scenes in Hollywood as a stunt performer. But it wasn’t just the lack of representation that stayed with her. It was the silence.

Words by Angel Neal

Photography By Malcolm Ali

“As a stunt woman I noticed that there weren't that many people of color, especially young girls, that were actually working behind the scenes,” Baker shares. “So I felt like it was my responsibility to educate young girls and give back.” That responsibility would evolve into something far greater than mentorship. It would become a movement. You’re Not Listening To.... What I Have to Say is not just a title it’s a confrontation. A call-out. A truth many young women have been carrying long before they had the words to express it. At its core, the book is a collection of 25 first person stories from girls ages 12 to 18 raw, unfiltered accounts of depression, bullying, trauma, illness, identity, and survival. But what makes this anthology different isn’t just the stories themselves, it's the intention behind them.

“I think it's important because there are so many girls that have stories and they don't know how to share them,” Baker explains. “And there are other girls out there that need to know that whatever you're going through, someone else has gone through it and you can overcome it.” 

The stories are not softened for comfort. They are presented as they are honest, heavy, and necessary. From a young girl battling ovarian cancer at just nine years old, to another navigating the loss of a parent to overdose, to survivors of abuse and systemic hardship, each narrative is a mirror and for many readers, a lifeline. What Baker has created lives at the intersection of healing and activism and she’s intentional about both. “Healing is really where I am,” she says. “I just want girls to understand that suicide is not an option.” 

In a generation shaped by hyper visibility, comparison culture, and digital pressure, Baker is witnessing a dangerous pattern: young women tying their worth to timelines that were never meant to define them. “If they don’t succeed by 30, they feel like they’re a failure and that’s where we find suicide and depression entering,” she explains. Her response isn’t just awareness, it's action. Through her nonprofit, Diamond in the RAW, and now through this book, Baker is building spaces where young women are not only seen, but equipped with tools, language, and community.

In a world where “check on your strong friends” has become a social media mantra, Baker challenges us to go deeper. 

“I think therapy is key but also observation,” she says. “A lot of times we’re not paying attention.” 

Support, in her eyes, is not passive. It’s active, intentional, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s noticing the silence. Asking the second question. Creating environments where honesty feels safe. For young women searching for their voice, her advice is both simple and powerful:“Be resilient, journal your thoughts and have someone you trust that you can talk to.” 

Perhaps the most powerful layer of Baker’s work is this: she is building what she never had.

“I didn’t have any mentors growing up,” she reflects. “So I just felt it was important to help young girls strive and reach their pinnacle.” 

That intention is embedded in every part of the book even in its structure. Designed to be interactive, readers are encouraged not just to absorb the stories, but to respond to them to journal, reflect, and begin writing their own. Because for Baker, this isn’t just about storytelling. It’s about transformation. Nearly a decade in the making, You’re Not Listening To.... What I Have to Say is only the beginning. Baker is already expanding the conversation through new initiatives like Vertical Visions, a program encouraging young girls to document their realities through film and digital storytelling turning everyday experiences into narrative power.

“I’m just teaching them how to play the game to win,” she says. It’s a philosophy rooted in lived experience and one she’s determined to pass on.

If there’s one thing Baker wants every girl to walk away with, it’s this: Resilience is not optional, it's essential. And your voice? It matters, even when the world isn’t listening. Or, as she puts it:“Never give up, they need people that look like them to understand that they can do it too.” You can purchase your copy on Amazon here at, You're Not Listening to.... What I Have To Say.