M.J. Fievre - Resilient Black Girl: 52 Weeks of Anti-Racist Activities for Black Joy and Resilience (Social Justice and Antiracist Book for Teens, Gift for Teenage Girl)

Praise for Resilient Black Girl

Informative, engaging and encouraging Resilient Black Girl is all of these things, and more. It is a very timely and powerful book for our Black girls and girls of color to reclaim their confidence and be beacons of courage and hope for generations to come.

Shanicia Boswell, founder of the Black Moms blog

Resilient Black Girl is a critical and powerful tool for our young Black girls. The activities and lessons offered are fundamental in shaping them into the powerful Black women they need to be in our world today.

Mike the Poet, author of Dear Woman

Society is known to have an erosive effect on Black girls confidence. Luckily enough, Resilient Black Girl equips them with the knowledge and confidence to not only reverse that effect but overpower it.

Karen Arrington, author of Your Next Level Life

Resilient Black

Girl

52 Weeks of Anti-Racist Activities for Black Joy and Resilience

M.J. Fievre

Coral Gables

Copyright 2021 by M.J. Fievre.
Published by Mango Publishing, a division of Mango Publishing Group, Inc.

Cover Design: Morgane Leoni
Cover Illustration: berdsigns /stock.adobe.com
Art Direction: Morgane Leoni

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Resilient Black Girl: 52 Weeks of Anti-Racist Activities for Black Joy and Resilience

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2021941080
ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-654-9, (ebook) 978-1-64250-655-6
BISAC category code YAN001000, YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Activity Books

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Understanding Systemic Racism/ Writ e a Letter
to Yourself

Racial Profiling and Police Encounters / Childhood
Dreams a nd Heroes

Your Rights During a Police Encounter/ R emembering
Wh o You Are

How to Stay Safe During a Police Encount er/ Journal
with Ph otographs

Using Creativity and Self-Confidenc e Against
Racism/ Make a Collage

How to Encourage Confidence in Othe rs/ Reframe
Your Pe rspective

Welcome to fifty-two weeks of living with intention. Resilient Black Girl: 52 Weeks of Anti-Racist Activities for Black Joy and Resilience was designed to help you get motivated to make real changes to your life and your way of thinking.

I grew up in Haiti, a Black nation led by Black people. The people of Haiti do not experience racism as it exists in the United States; what presents itself mostly there is colorism (prejudice against individuals with a darker skin tone, among people of the same ethnic or racial group). Imagine my shock and surprise when I immigrated to the United States and, on top of having to deal with a new language and culture, discovered that I was often singled out for the color of my skin, whether it was a group of kids who threw a milkshake at me, or a college professor who assumed I was lazy because I fell behind in my work trying to keep up with the language.

Throughout my years working as an educator, Ive seen firsthand the kind of damage that racism can do to a young persons spirit. The effects of racism are real and damaging. Ive seen many promising students become disengaged and withdrawn because of racist incidents. I know the perils of the school to prison pipeline which disproportionately affects Black and Brown kids. Ive also seen the real beauty of students who overcame the struggles of racism and became strong, confident, and comfortable in their own power, and were able to become successful in their classes and th eir lives.

Resilient Black Girl is a book about the realities of being Black. It leads Black girls and young Black women to a better understanding of the effects of racism and teaches them how to navigate various spaces. This book is a guide filled with activities and prompts that encourage empowerment and self-reliance, providing you with tools for combating racism in your daily life. There is no doubt, you are powerful, but unfortunately, youll face microaggressions and outright racism in your daily life. Resilient Black Girl will help empower you to be brave, face the challenges of oppression, and rely on yourself.

Learn to:

Understand and combat racism and microaggressions in your daily life. Once you identify how racism affects your physical and mental health, you can love and take care of yourself.

Become a leader in your community. To become a well-rounded Black girl is to become an important member of your society. This journal and activity workbook guides you through achieving your personal and pub lic goals.

Be brave, empowered, and self-reliant. Being a Black girl comes with many gifts, one being resiliency. While you are strong and can overcome anything, be kind to yourself.

Ive paired twenty-six lessons in anti-racism with fifty-two writing exercises. These exercises will open your mind to the world around you, and the world within you. As you go through these activities, keep in mind that you are developing a practice, a foundation of mindful activity you can build on for the future. These activities dont have to stop after the year is over. I hope journaling and anti-racist awareness will become part of your daily rituals for life.

The writing exercises were adapted from narrative therapy techniques that have been shown to increase confidence and lower anxiety and depression as well as increase motivation and self-knowledge, something every resilient Black girl needs. Being resilient isnt something we are born with; its a learned trait. And sometimes you snap a little. Its okay to break down, but getting back up is what makes you resilient and powerful.

The anti-racist chapters are part of an education every Black girl should have in the truth of the situation-at-large. They will equip you with the knowledge you need to navigate these trying times in a society thats not built to accommodate Blackness. These lessons will help you understand how our society works and how you can fight back against inequity and injustice in a safe and productive way. You can fight back against injustice. Its a battle many brave warrior women are fighting all over the world.

As you start this journey, Im excited to know that you will be exploring and learning about yourself and the world. I hope you enjoy the process and come out of the year ready to take on whatever life has to offer you in terms of fulfilling your dreams. Remember to dream big!

Writing Prompts:

Gaining Perspective

These exercises will help you review your life and gain a different kind of perspective on your past, which can help you project into a brighter future for yourself. The word perspective implies clear vision and understanding, so when you complete these entries, keep that in mind. Part of what makes journaling such a positive activity is that it teaches you about yourself, who you are, and what makes you tick. Getting to know yourself is a process that many of us dont think to engage in, but its one that will help seal your individuality and create a better understanding of your foundation al traits.