Are we thinking about the next generation of Black and Brown girls in the ways we should? This may be my own guilt speaking but, I’m not sure we are. Thank God for CEO and bestselling author Minda Harts.
Harts, author of the bestselling book The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table, has helped thousands of women of color navigate the workplace and take control of their careers. This spring, she set her sights on inspiring young girls with her latest book, You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls’ Guide to Finding your Voice.
“I really wanted us to have an intergenerational conversation because I think we’re very siloed in our decades, of how we’re moving around—and even though we’re all experiencing very similar things, just at different degrees, in different tables and different rooms,” said Harts during our conversation for this week’s episode of The Reset. “But at the core of it, the feelings are very much the same. And I wanted to be able to bridge that gap with the conversation to say, ‘You know what, your mom, you might feel like she’s old, but she’s dealing with some of the same things. Let’s talk about it.’”
Hart’s book title in itself is a reminder that we’ve not only got to share our experiences with young Black girls but also be careful how we address them. You know we love a good “Black Girl Magic!” comment under an Instagram pic or when a confident brown girl enters a room, but Harts is right: We are more than magic and have the scars to prove it.
“At the end of the day, it takes a lot of work to show up and be a Black woman, a brown woman in this world, in the workplace, in our classrooms,” she explained. “It takes resilience and grit. There’s no luck for how we get things done. And so I really wanted to take that farce away, like we’re some magical characters…that we get to where we are because of just luck and just magic. We are so much more than that,” Harts added.
Wouldn’t it be something if our 11 year-olds and graduating seniors knew they, too, are young women with layers and uniqueness no other human possesses? That magic won’t get them to where they are going but actually overcoming adversity and embracing who they are is their superpower? I’m glad Harts is answering the call to begin teaching them this now—because Lord knows we need them in every nook and cranny of this country, sparking change and leading us to a better place.
To see the full interview with Minda Harts and Coach Tish’s Top Three Takeaways, watch this week’s episode in the video above.
Letisha Bereola is a life coach who helps ambitious women overcome burnout and reach their career goals so they feel great at work and happy at home. She’s a former Emmy-nominated TV news anchor, Podcast host of AUDACITY and speaker. Learn more: www.coachtish.co.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. TheGrio’s Black Podcast Network is free too. Download theGrio mobile apps today! Listen to ‘Dear Culture’ with Panama Jackson.