Book Nook: Empowered Black Girl: Joyful Affirmations and Words of Resilience

The events of the last few years have shown us the importance of self-care, giving our selves the TLC we need. I am happy to help promote Empowered Black Girl: Joyful Affirmations and Words of Resilience. Author M.J Fievre shares inspirational words of wisdom through amazing Black inspirational women. 

Honestly, this book was wonderful to read, even as someone who isn't Black. The book discusses the habit of daily affirmations, strengthening self-esteem, and living a life filled with joy and satisfaction. It's a good reminder to readers that they are incredible and more than enough. It is particularly appropriate for amazing Black girls and women who need help bolstering their self-confidence or just want to continue the practice of daily self-love.

I had a chance to interview the author to learn more (and as a teacher, I found the last question particularly helpful).

Why are affirmations such a powerful tool?

Affirmations are powerful because they undo the damage that the nagging inner critic who tells you “you’re no good” does to a person. Girls, and particularly Black girls, get all kinds of negative messages from the world on a daily basis, and it’s important to realize we can tend to internalize those messages. Affirmations take practice, but they give a person the kind of supportive voice that is healthier and more conducive to success and self-love.

Your books definitely have an energetic, confident vibe - why is it so important for people, especially Black girls, to cultivate a strong level of confidence?

Confidence is the key to achieving anything. One must believe they can before they can accomplish anything, and I think too often Black girls hear they can’t. If you hear that message often enough, you start to believe it, and believing that you’re powerless is one of the worst feelings in the world. I’d rather my readers believe they can do anything they set their minds to. The possibilities are endless if you believe anything is possible.

How can adults and caregivers of all backgrounds create an environment that empowers Black girls to feel valued and successful?

To start with, it’s important that Black girls feel they are important and that they matter. Black girls are more likely to be bullied than any other group of girls, and bullying does enormous damage to a person’s sense of self-worth. Black girls need to be protected, cherished, and nurtured too. Listening to what Black girls have to say and letting them know you value their opinion is important. Challenging Black girls to stretch beyond their limitations is important too. Let them know you believe in them and they will feel valued. I think one thing that people often overlook is the importance of allowing Black girls to make their own choices about their lives. Letting a girl make simple choices about what she studies or how she spends her free time helps a girl feel empowered, and helps them to understand the importance of consequences, both good and bad.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, M.J. Fievre moved to the United States in 2002. She currently writes from Miami, Florida. M.J.’s publishing career began as a teenager in Haiti. At nineteen years-old, she signed her first book contract with Hachette-Deschamps, in Haiti, for the publication of a Young Adult book titled La Statuette Maléfique. Since then, M.J. has written nine books in French that are widely read in Europe and the French Antilles. In 2013, One Moore Book released M.J.’s first children’s book, I Am Riding, written in three languages: English, French, and Haitian Creole. In 2015, Beating Windward Press published M.J.’s memoir, A Sky the Color of Chaos, about her childhood in Haiti during the brutal regime of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. She is also the author of Happy, Okay? Poems about Anxiety, Depression, Hope, and Survival and Empowered Black Girl: Joyful Affirmations and Words of Resilience. A long-time educator and frequent keynote speaker, M.J. is available for book club meetings, podcast presentations, interviews and other author events. Please check out her website https://www.badassblackgirl.com/