M. J. Fievre - Empowered Black Girl: Joyful Affirmations and Words of Resilience (Book for black girls)

Praise for The Badass
Black Girl Series

In an era when Black girls are bombarded with negative stereotypes on traditional and social media platforms, Badass Black Girl offers welcome advice to Black girls to embrace their individuality and to develop positive mental and body images. Writing in clear understandable prose, Fievre provides numerous examples of women such as a Toni Morrison, Michelle Obama, and Madam C. J. Walker, who exemplify Black excellence, and equips Black girls through a series of exercises and affirmations with the tools to become Badass women who know their worth.

Geoffrey Philp, author of Garveys Ghost

Protecting our young Black women and femme-identifying youth is so importantM.J. Fievre lays this out with grace, care, and the most powerful love in the phenomenal Badass Black Girl . So often, our society tells us that were so strong, so resilient, so able to fix everyone elses worldthis book reveals the truth: Black women/femme-identifying people are just as tender, just as in need of affirmation and praise, just as worthy of an embrace from self and from those around us. [ Badass Black Girl ] is a celebration, an affirmation, a history text, a little bit of memoir, and an exuberant prayer for the prosperity of Black women.

Ashley M. Jones, author of Magic City Gospel

M.J. Fievre gives every girl her own set of black pearls of wisdom.

Marie Ketsia Theodore-Pharel, author of Beauty Walks in Nature

Badass Black Girl is the big hug you need, [] a glorious love letter to the Black women who have shaped and loved us, to our griots and groundbreakers. [] Fievre celebrates Black girls in all of their power, vulnerability, and beauty and offers instructions for self-love, taking responsibility, creating art, and expressing gratitude. I wish I had [ Badass Black Girl ] when I was younger, and Im happy I have it now.

Jennifer Maritza McCauley, author of SCAR ON/SCAR OFF

Youll come away from Badass Black Girl feeling as if youve known the author your entire life, and its a rare feat for any writer. M.J. Fievre is the best friend, the confidante everyone yearns for.

Michael Reid, Mike, the Poet, author of Dear Woman and The Boyfriend Book

Finding the courage to live as you are is not easy, so Badass Black Girl is [] designed to help young girls to nurture their creativity, self-motivation, and positive self-awareness. This is a journal that celebrates girl power and honors the strength and spirit of black girls.

Mary Cowper, Midwest Book Review

The world is often unkind to Black girls and Black women. Issues Black women have historically facedoppression, racism, sexism, economic strifeare sometimes compounded in unimaginable ways. [] The words from influential Black female role models, combined with Fievres own wisdom regarding self-love and self-esteem, will give readers the feeling of being heard and understood. Fievres tips for affirmations and other positive strategies are the tools her readers will able to utilize in their lives. Its time for us Black girls and Black women to be empowered, and Im glad we have Fievre to show us the way.

Monique Jones, author of The Book of Awesome Black Americans

Coral Gables

Copyright 2020 by M.J. Fievre.
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover Design: Elina Diaz
Cover Photo/illustration: Cincinart/stock.adobe.com
Layout & Design: Elina Diaz

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Empowered Black Girl: Joyful Affirmations & Words of Resilience

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: Has been requested
ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-560-3, (ebook) 978-1-64250-561-0
BISAC category code: YAN006020, YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Everybodys talking at me. Most people are stuck listening to competing voices as they go about their daily routine. The nature of public life makes it hard to escape. The news of the world is constantly blaring on television, and everyone has an opinion about something, whether it is the barista who says she needs Botox or the man on the corner who claims the end of the world is coming. Life, with all its noise, can be overwhelming, especially when you consider that you have competing voices within yourself to con tend with.

Many of us are like the old cartoon where a lost soul is stuck between a battle of consciences: an angel on one shoulder, whispering how beautiful and remarkable you are, urging you to be good, feel good, behave yourself, and a little devil with a pitchfork on the other shoulder, whispering, Youre no good. This inner critic tells you not to bother, and its voice can become so ingrained in us we forget we dont have to listen to it, and we fall into behaviors we know arent good for our self-esteem, our health, and our sense of w ell-being.

If you have been listening to the inner critic for too long, its time to start letting your wiser voice have the floor. Affirmations are a great way to silence that inner nag and bring positivity into your life. You can think of them as the voice of your angelic conscience. But in order to hear your wise conscience, you have to become more conscious of what youre listening to. Your wise conscience never says, Youre not good enough. Your wise conscience knows full well she is speaking truth when she says, Look at you! Now youre a badass, for sure.

You hear it all the time: you have to accept yourself as you are. Love your identity. Love your heritage. Be proud!

But how? Do you simply wake up one morning and magically think, Im the best thing since sli ced bread?

Do you simply say, Hey, I lov e myself?

Actu ally, yes.

Well, yesand no. It starts with the affirmation I love myself and, little by little, you actually do learn to love every facet of yourself, you learn to really believe in yourself. You become this girl you imagine: ambitious, strong, thirsty for more.