Walk Boldly: Empowerment Toolkit for Young Black Men

By M.J. Fievre

Embrace Who You Are as a Male Black Teen

#1 New Release in Teen & Young Adult Language Arts Books

Embrace the color of your skin and celebrate your identity. Finding the courage to live freely and authentically is not easy. This black teen book is designed to help you facilitate your creative drive, promote positive self-awareness, and boost your inner strength.

Affirmations for Black teen boys. This black teen book is full of wisdom from Black male trailblazers who accomplished remarkable things in sports, literature, entertainment, education, STEM, business, military and government services, politics and law, activism, and more.

Explore the many facets of your identity through hundreds of big and small questions. In this guidebook for teens, M.J. Fievre, educator and author of Raising Confident Black Kids and Badass Black Girl, tackles a variety of relevant topics, such as family and friends, school and careers, and stereotypes. While reflecting on these subjects, you confront the issues that could hold you back from living a confident life as a Black teen boy.

Learn from the lives of thriving black men. Alongside space for personal work and reflection, M.J. Fievre provides interviews with successful black men in a variety of fields, including Andrew Bernard of Make It Dairy Free, Justin Black of Redefining Normal, and Roderick “Rod” Morrow of Rodimus Prime.

Walk Boldly helps you to:

• Build and boost your self-esteem with powerful affirmations and stories from Black male role models
• Learn more about yourself through insightful journaling
• Become comfortable and confident in your skin

If you enjoyed Black teen books like Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Boy, 31-Day Affirmations for African American Boys, or Letters to a Young Brother, you’ll love Walk Boldly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781642507348

M.J. Fievre

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, M.J. Fievre moved to the United States in 2002. She currently writes from Miami. 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 authored 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. M.J. Fievre is the author of Happy, Okay? Poems about Anxiety, Depression, Hope, and Survival (Books & Books Press, 2019) and Badass Black Girl: Questions, Quotes, and Affirmations for Teens (Mango Publishing, 2020). She helps others write their way through trauma, build community and create social change. She works with veterans, disenfranchised youth, cancer patients and survivors, victims of domestic and sexual violence, minorities, the elderly, those with chronic illness or going through transition and any underserved population in need of writing as a form of therapy—even if they don’t realize that they need writing or therapy. A long-time educator and frequent keynote speaker (Tufts University, Massachusetts; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; the University of Miami, Florida; and Michael College, Vermont; and a panelist at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, AWP), M.J. is available for book club meetings, podcast presentations, interviews and other author events.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 by M.J. Fievre.

Published by Mango Publishing, a division of Mango Publishing Group, Inc.

Cover Design & Art Direction: Morgane Leoni

Cover Illustration: berdsigns/Adobe Stock

Layout & Design: Katia Mena

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Walk Boldly: Empowerment Toolkit for Young Black Men

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2022933237

ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-733-1, (ebook) 978-1-64250-734-8

BISAC category code YAN051200, YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Social Topics / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

You Are Worthy of a Good, Long, Productive Life

Weeks 1–2:

Get a Boost of Confidence

Weeks 3–4:

Know Your Own Self-Worth

Weeks 5–6:

Create Balance,

Overcome Burnout, and Eliminate Roadblocks

Weeks 7–8:

Build a Growth Mindset

Weeks 9–10:

Practice Optimism and Find Those Silver Linings

Weeks 11–12:

Challenge Your

Negative Thoughts!

Weeks 13–14:

Use Negative Thoughts to Your Advantage

Weeks 15–16:

Spend Smarter

Weeks 17–18:

Find Clarity and Purpose

Weeks 19–20:

Imagine Happiness

Weeks 21–22:

Go After Life!

Weeks 23–24:

Live Your Values

Weeks 25–26:

Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

Weeks 27–28:

Stay Mindful

Weeks 29–30:

Face Stress Head On

Weeks 31–32:

Speak Up, Be Yourself, and Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Weeks 33–34:

Build Meaningful Connections

Weeks 35–36:

Have an Open Mind

Weeks 37–38:

Hold Yourself Accountable

Weeks 39–40:

Develop Healthy Habits

Weeks 41–42:

Go Outside!

Weeks 43–44:

Memorize Happiness in Your Body

Weeks 45–46:

Let Go of Feeling Busy

Weeks 47–48:

Consider Therapy

Weeks 49–50:

Treat Yourself Like a Friend

Weeks 51–52:

Believe in Your Power to Change Your Life

All the Very Best in Life!

They Walk Boldly

About the Author

You Are Worthy of a Good, Long, Productive Life

Believing in yourself is key to having a successful future. When you believe in yourself, self-doubt melts away and is replaced by a confidence that will see you through the difficult situations you will face in your life, which can be compounded for a Black boy especially. This book is intended to help you find your belief in yourself and to give you practical advice that will help you achieve your goals. I’ve included role models for you to look up to and quotes by notable Black leaders that will make you think more about your future and the kind of person you want to become, which ultimately supports the life you end up leading.

I’ve also included exercises that will help motivate and encourage you to reflect on your current path and how it aligns with the path you desire for your future self and life.

It is easy to become discouraged, and these exercises are here to serve as a reminder of what you can do to make your life better. Ultimately, the right path is going to differ by person; the exercises in this book will help you self-reflect and contemplate what that right path is for you—even if it’s different than the path the same exercises lead someone else to.

You will need a blank companion journal and pen to be able to reflect and actively complete some of the exercises—so get your materials ready.

You may wonder: What makes this an essential reading for young Black men?

In one word: Representation.

There is not a lot of positive representation for Black males in mainstream media, which impacts their confidence, self-perception, and may contribute to struggles in identity development or feeling confident within oneself. If society is constantly saying you are one thing and that thing is bad/negative, you need more input within to combat that external narrative. This means that the deposits we make in Black males are that much more important, allowing them to subscribe to some things that may be cultural (hair, clothing, shoes, music, etc.) while being able to not define themselves by it completely—and more importantly, not to allow others to define them by it.

Black boys need space to seek and experiment with their identity without it being a death sentence or pre-determination of who they will become later. It’s too much pressure and is a confidence killer. There is so much expectation of Black males to assimilate for success and acceptance, so how do they ever get to grow into themselves? As a teacher, my experience with this is advocating for my students and empowering them with information so they can advocate for themselves. Some of my kids love Jordans, want their hair in braids (thanks to the Colin docuseries, they have an ear piercing, and they love Tupac), but they also live in a society where non-Black people mostly appropriate these things, so I teach them how Black people are originators and creators of the culture non-Black people like to play dress up in, and that they have to define the line for themselves—who they want to be—and hold that line when up against what others project onto them. Ultimately, I teach them about increased self-awareness to be able to navigate these experiences directly. I also teach them that while it’s not their responsibility to do this for others, sometimes in systems of white supremacy and patriarchy, they will have to in order to keep themselves safe.

I understand that teaching you, a Black male, confidence requires:

• Affirming your choices (not poli cing them)

• Building your self -awareness

• Supporting and encou raging you

• Empowering you with information which arms you to navigate spaces that may not be as accepting

• Providing you with models/mirrors that can inspire and encourage

• Creating spaces for you to understand and differentiate the internal/external as well as your perception of self vs. others’ percepti ons of you

It isn’t easy being a Black boy. There are plenty of stories in the media right now highlighting how little society thinks of young Black men. But you are worthy of a good, long, productive life, and you can make changes to the way other people view Black boys. It all starts by changing how you see yourself and your role in society.

I hope this book will help guide you to a better relationship with yourself and with those around you. It’s a small-time investment for a future packed with all good things. You may want to set aside a little time each day to read and practice the exercises in this book. Find a quiet place where you are uninterrupted and can focus on the material in the book.

Keep striving to make your life better!

Kenbe (Be strong!),

M.J. Fievre

Weeks 1–2:

Get a Boost of Confidence

You’re living in a world that makes it hard to be Black. You are subject to systemic racism’s toll daily, and that can wear on your self-esteem and make your confidence lag. It’s important to work actively to undo some of the wear and tear you may feel from other people’s expectations, or the limitations placed upon you. Self-confidence is a belief in your abilities to accomplish goals. It means believing in yourself. Confidence is key to having a full life—and you deserve a full life. If you sometimes feel like you just can’t believe in yourself anymore, it may be time to get a shot of self-confidence. With a healthy sense of self-confidence, you walk differently through the world. Your stride is more certain and you have a spring in your step. You stand taller. You feel stronger and more able to achieve your goals. Other people’s negative opinions and prejudgments matter less, and people are less likely to hassle you because you appear more capable of achieving great things.

Confidence can only come from within, so let’s work on our self-worth, our self-care, and our self-awareness this coming week. Nobody is born with loads of self-confidence. It’s something we build on every day by being mindful of who we are inside, and who we show to the world. Bring out the best in yourself by nurturing your skills and talents. We all have a unique combination of features and characteristics, an essence that makes us admirable. You may be a math whiz or especially talented artistically. Maybe you’re a good listener or have an unusual level of patience. Whatever your talent, it’s yours to nurture and develop through practice and learning. And if you’re not sure of your talent, you have your whole life to explore and develop your strong suits.

What is certain is that there is no one quite like you on the planet, and you matter. You can make a difference every day, just by showing up and being yourself.

Be you, confidently!

Here are some tips and tricks to take into this week:

1. Stand straight and tall. When you slump, it sends a message to others and to yourself that you have self-doubt. When you get the side-eye at the grocery store from the clerk or the security guard starts asking questions, stand tall. Feel your spine straighten out and put your shoulders back. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You should be proud of who you are, and anyone making a judgment based on a glance isn’t considering who you really are individually. Thousands of people have marched and protested to make sure you have the right to walk tall in this world. You were born out of a history of people with inner strength and determination who have done great things, despite being sidelined for the color of their skin. Your people built great libraries in Africa thousands of years ago; they survived slavery and thrived despite it. They have made advances in the modern world. A Black man built the first bloodmobile and invented the first traffic signal. Aside from the history of your people, when you stand tall you feel like you’re all that—an d you are.

2. Wear something you feel good in this week. You don’t have to have the coolest sneakers to feel good about how you look; it’s not about having clothes that are a status symbol, so don’t feel like you need to spend a lot of money on a wardrobe to feel like a million bucks. When we take the time and effort on our physical appearance this can reflect positively on our thoughts of ourselves. Take the time to groom yourself before you leave your house each day. Look at yourself in the mirror and make sure you’re looking fine in your own eyes. Wear your favorite color or your favorite t-shirt. Take the time to put an effort into your appearance for yourself and not any body else.

If you feel like you look good, you will send off the vibe that you can take care of yourself—no matter your style. That you’re strong and capable—no matter what others think. The truth is, people have lower expectations of you based just on how you look, and the way Black boys present themselves (in hoodies and sneakers etc.) becomes fodder for bias and prejudice. I know many moms and teachers spend time warning their sons and students to pull their pants up or not put a hoodie on because Black boys and young men are often seen by the clothes they wear and judged for