As a parent advocate, I am ride or die for our Black students. In my work in schools, I have seen so many of our kids work, struggle, toil, and ultimately succeed in an education system that I’ve come to realize is not made for them. I have seen many of our Black students unlock their superpowers.
Many of the young Queens I meet hold a special place in my heart. Not only am I raising a future Queen, but I see my younger self in them.
The Black girls I meet in our schools not only work hard for academic success but are leaders. They do great things in their school and are a positive force in their community.
They run student councils and serve on student senates or Black Student Associations. Many of the Black teenage girls I meet are equity-minded warriors who invest in standing up for and with others. Still others are dedicated to their families and community watching younger siblings – and sometimes older ones.
Moreover, along with these remarkable efforts, I have also seen what I recognize as a deep and often unspoken struggle.
Recently, during a presentation to a local school board on the impact of anti-Black racism in our schools, the words and emotions of a young teen leader in the audience brought me to a standstill. Through tears, she shared her feelings that she felt she should have done a better job shielding her fellow students from the racism that persisted within their school walls.
This young Queen’s truth reminded me of the unique burden often felt by our young leaders.
Black teen girls need — and deserve — an abundance of self-love and nurturing
In a world where they’re expected to shoulder so much responsibility, Black teen girls also need — and deserve — an abundance of self-love and nurturing. They deserve inspiration from folks who look like them, have been where they are and can offer wisdom. And our girls deserve this all year round, not just during Black History Month.
That’s where Black women leaders come in.
Leave it to Black leaders of today and yesterday to give our girls the powerful tool of positive thoughts. These women give us words that centre us and remind our girls not only of their worth, strength, and resilience but all they are capable and deserving of.
Whether you are looking for powerful quotes for your classroom, your home or just the next pep talk you give on one of those days our Black teen girls need it – these are inspirational quotes every Black Girl needs to hear.
Quotes to Foster a Strong Sense of Self in Black Teen Girls
If there is one thing that I wish for our Black girls is for them to know the importance of self-identity and individuality.
This is a hard thing in a world that doesn’t always see us or show us diverse versions of ourselves. So many of our teen girls are working to build a better world. But before they can spread compassion and kindness to others, they’ve got to learn to love themselves first.
The best thing we can do is help young Black girls define themselves on their own terms – to preserve their authenticity. To stave off low self-esteem help them know that in the good times and the tough times, the only person whose voice matters is their own.
I love myself when I am laughing. . . and then again when I am looking mean and impressive.
Zora Neale Hurston
I would tell my younger self just be yourself — that who you are is good enough.
Viola Davis
It all made sense: my shyness, all the times I was dismissed for not being “black enough,” my desire to reframe the images of black film and television, which I started to do when I created a series in college called Dorm Diaries, my inability to dance—these were all symptoms of my Awkward Blackness.
Issa Rae
Quotes to Inspire Self-Love and Confidence in Black Girls
The teenage years are rough on our self-esteem. On their worst days, anything from a comment on social media, to a fight with a best friend or a bad grade can feel like it wipes out the good things they work on daily.
There is no better time than the teen years to teach our girls the power of a positive mindset. From tone policing to body image, adultification and colourism, our girls’ self-esteem depends on embracing what it is to live in their own beautifully melanated skin. Encouraging our girls to love their whole selves even on their worst days is part of supporting good mental health and emotional well-being.
These powerful words remind our girls that they are born inherently enough, and worthy of love, acceptance, and celebration exactly as they are.
All year, I was critiqued about who I was. I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto … So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you.
Angel Reese
I love my body, and I would never change anything about it. I’m not asking you to like my body. I’m just asking you to let me be me. Because I’m going to influence a girl who does look like me, and I want her to feel good about herself.
Serena Williams
If unkindness is indeed a serial killer, then my revelation is that I was my own murderer. I had taught myself to bend to my own unkindness first so that I would be able to withstand the unkindness of others. I will not bend anymore.
Tarana Burke
The one person who will never leave us, whom we will never lose, is ourself. Learning to love our female selves is where our search for love must begin.
bell hooks
Such as I am, I am a precious gift.
Zora Neale Hurston
We’re used to being suffocated. We need to sit, be kind to ourselves, and just look inside for a minute.
Michaela Coel
The world benefits when we love ourselves unapologetically.
Sonya Renee Taylor
When I talk about owning eloquent rage as your superpower, it comes with the clear caveat that not everyone is worth your time or your rage.
Brittney Cooper
Affirmations to help teen girls celebrate their Magic and embrace Black Joy
In the whirlwind that can be the teenage years, from hormones to high school and to starting careers or university, equipping our teen girls to connect with joy is an invaluable gift.
Every Black teenage girl needs to know that joy is central to her overall well-being. Black is not just about fleeting moments of happiness. True Black Joy is about giving ourselves to rest, finding simple ways to nurture our spirits and protecting our mental health without the weight of guilt.
Most importantly, these quotes remind every Black teenage girl that joy is central to her overall well-being.
I embraced joy as my birthright. Radical black joy is inherent as a human need and not some special trinket you get after you rise high enough … or unlock some special level of desirability or accomplishment.
Tanya Denise Fields
You were not just born to center your entire existence on work and labor. You were born to heal, to grow, to be of service to yourself and community, to practice, to experiment, to create, to have space, to dream, and to connect.
Tricia Hersey
They will first think you are beautiful, innocent – and you will be. But as your baby fat disappears and your height comes to match ours, they will start to see you as dangerous – but we will be here to refute the lies. We will be here to remind you that you are worthy of joy and love and adventure.
Austin Channing Brown
Confidence-building quotes that encourage girls to reach their full potential
From the civil rights movement to the resounding echoes of #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, Black women’s resilient spirits have fueled the flames of progress. Our teens stand on the shoulders of these women of substance. The journeys of these powerful women are filled with perseverance and resilience. Their advice tells stories of personal growth as they made positive changes in the world. And their words speak to inner strength that is inspiring. They remind our girls how critical it is to not limit ourselves to one notion of success.
Whether they are “the only” Black girl in the room, “the first” in a role, a leader or a rising talent, our girls carry within them the seeds of powerful change. These quotes help them build a positive mindset of personal growth with unwavering confidence in their own power to achieve their full potential.
You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.
Angela Davis
Don’t let anybody, anybody convince you this is the way the world is and therefore must be. It must be the way it ought to be.
Toni Morrison
[Do] not wait for permission. The key is: What do you want? If you want to be famous and have a big car and a fancy house, that’s a different thing. You have to ask permission for that. But if you want to make a film, say, and your reasons are truly for the experience of doing it and for the storytelling and the art of it, you don’t have to ask anyone.
Ava DuVernay
There’s no prerequisites to worthiness. You’re born worthy.
Viola Davis
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
Maya Moore
Quotes that help teen girls embrace the power of positive thinking
Let’s be real – our girls are going to encounter doubters. They are going to face difficult situations. At times external voices question their worth and potential – at other times, the questioning voice will be their own.
In these moments and times of stress, young women need to find solace in their own strength and conviction. These quotes challenge the negative self-talk that can sometimes stop our girls from taking risks or pursuing their dreams.
These powerful words will encourage our girls to dare to be bold even in the face of criticism. To help our girls refuse to shrink themselves to fit into narrow expectations, fiercely protect their identities and pursue their dreams with unwavering determination.
I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.
Maya Angelou
All too often women believe it is a sign of commitment, an expression of love, to endure unkindness or cruelty, to forgive and forget. In actuality, when we love rightly we know that the healthy, loving response to cruelty and abuse is putting ourselves out of harm’s way.
bell hooks
Think like a Queen. A Queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.
Oprah Winfrey
Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.
Maya Moore
Inspirational Quotes Our Teenage Girls Need to Hear
These inspirational quotes from Black role models offer encouragement to help our girls live by their own terms and write their own stories.
The best quotes for our girls assure them they are capable of amazing things. They assure them there is power in knowing their roots, understanding their identity, and striving to be the best version of themselves. They help assure Black girls that they are enough.
Sometimes the power of affirmations lay in their ability to encourage teens to take the first step in a journey of empowerment. At other times affirmations offer teens different ways to look at the challenges of daily life. Powerful words might assure them that their voice matters. Or these words may be just the right inspiration to help the teen in your life find the resilience, positivity, and unwavering confidence to keep going.
More than girl power, these quotes can have a powerful impact, helping to arm Black teenage girls with the wisdom of our ancestors, the power of positive affirmations, and the belief in their own potential. This added to giving them access to healing spaces for Black girls can make a world of difference in our girls lives.
Comment with your own affirmations or favourite quotes that might inspire or uplift our girls.
