FINDING HER VOICE

A how-to book to encourage and empower Black teenage girls.

Co-authored by a professor of psychology, a nonprofit CEO, and an educator, this is a comprehensive guide to help Black girls learn to assert their fullest selves in a world designed to oppress them. The text provides anecdotes and activities to ensure that as readers embark on their journey through the workbook, they will achieve three stated goals, namely that they will be seen, they will be knowledgeable, and they will be empowered. The book is divided into four sections—Identity, Body Image, Relationships, and Institutions—each of which has multiple activities for readers to engage with. The individual sections begin with anecdotes to help frame conversations about intersectionality and conclude with activities like designing a T-shirt to express positive feelings about their racial identity or suggesting readers map out, via a tree illustration, the roots of their insecurities about colorism. The images are cute and relatable: A picture of a Black girl in a bonnet has lines for readers to write reflections on their hair; a heart shape is drawn like a puzzle for readers to fill in and explore their most salient identities, showcasing their multifaceted experiences. Although the book does give definitions for many of the sociological terms used, some concepts could have been developed with greater nuance.

Offers a necessary opportunity for Black girls to reflect and breathe.