Genre: Self Help Book/Biography – Non-Fiction, Social
Author: Angela Quijada-Banks
Methods: Developmental editing, proofreading, line editing, beta reading.
Techniques: Complete substantive editing including but not limited to: copyediting, stylistic editing, and developmental editing.
o 40,000 word manuscript
o Completely organized the manuscript
o Detailed line edits to improve flow and readability
Outcomes: Completed edit provided a concise, comprehensive, and engaging final manuscript ready for publication.
Timeline: Full project completed over 5 weeks
Software: Original manuscript written in Google Docs, edit completed within the same program.
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Excerpt:
Just the other day, I was talking with a friend about how big I would dream as a child and how, as I reached my teenage years, that inner knowing to dream big began to disappear. Instead, those big dreams began to turn into strong, elaborate, and even monstrous nightmares. It seemed as though it didn’t matter whether or not I was asleep or awake because somehow, and in some way, life would feel suffocating. As I approached graduation in my senior year of high school, I feared that I may not make it. I couldn’t see myself living past eighteen years old. The reality I lived in for so long clouded my vision of all the future possibilities. I was sure I would be dead before becoming an adult.
And since I wasn’t dead, what was I to do? Was college really still an option for me? What about entrepreneurship? After so many unhealthy relationships, was marriage a jump beyond my reach? As the weight of the world, loved ones’ expectations, and my own limiting beliefs began to speed up their pace, I pushed on in hopes of one day achieving grand success.
For many years, I felt lost, confused, hurt, angry, and unloved. That part, I knew, was not supposed to be normal, but the way they showed up for me was difficult to decode at times. Some days, I felt happy. (After knowing now what the state of joy is, I equate what I experienced as happy back then to pleasure, a short-term stimulus that inevitably runs out. After which, you will need a new stimulus to help you prolong the sense of “happiness”, even if it’s just for a few more moments.) In this state of happiness, my mind would always bring up ideas as to how it wasn’t going to be long before that feeling expired. And, soon enough, it would just like I predicted. Then, I’d go on a whole rant about how the universe was BS, asking why did God hate me so much and why did this always happen to me.
What I failed to realize, was that I had choices. I could choose to no longer allow my environment, past trauma, people in my life, and negative thoughts to control me.
When I was a child, I had little control over my circumstances. I couldn’t just get up one day, pack up all my clothes, and move out at 6 years old without there being real problems that I would have to face. Like, where would i go, and how was I going to get there? And, of course, I wouldn’t leave my siblings behind, so where would we sleep? How would we eat? Was I going to have to get a job to take care of us, at six years old?
No, there are child labor laws in place now.
And more importantly, I don’t even have to stay in that state of mind because I’m not six nor in that space anymore. For a long time, I became accustomed to having one traumatic event happen after the other, non-stop. I was constantly reliving my past, catastrophizing my next moves, living in a perpetual state of survival mode. And I would put up a fight to stay there, although I craved more. I wanted to travel the world, to be genuinely full of joy, and feel unconditional love without the prerequisite of pain first. I wanted to experience eating delicious, well-balanced meals with a clean bill of health and circles of amazing friendships. I desired a life that filled me up inside. A life that I didn’t need a break from. And I knew it existed. Perhaps, somewhere in the cosmos, or in an alternate dimension.
I just didn’t know how to get there.
From Pain to Power
The Black Foster Youth Handbook is a compilation of over 50 out of the many lessons I learned from my personal experience as a young person of color navigating a life that included trauma, foster care, and racism. I have acquired many bumps and bruises along the way, and yet I am still here. And hey, so are you.
When I was a freshman at North Carolina Central University, I took a sociology class that taught me about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This concept stood out to me. Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist that wrote a paper in 1943 named A Theory of Human Motivation. In this paper is a pyramid shaped figure that outlines the foundation of basic human needs as the figure’s base, and self-actualization as the narrow tip of the pyramid.
Over the years, I’ve done in-depth research on my heritage of Indigenous and African descent, as well as the history of institutional racism in America and, more recently, within foster care. Why is it that after decades upon decades of the child welfare system being in place, with the intention of catering to the well-being of young people, the success rate among these same young people remains so low? Why is it that less than 3% of the foster care population actually graduate from a four-year university across the nation? What are the common variables between the very small percentage of young people that make it through the cracks? And lastly, how can we begin to actively prepare young people within the foster care system to successfully navigate through with competence, a strong support system, and confidence that their own dreams (no matter how big) have the ability to become a reality? Once I made the decision to write this book, I knew I would be taking a holistic approach. I planned to break it down into tangible steps that can be applicable through foster care and beyond.
I have broken this concept down into four main phases. I call it the R.E.A.L success model. Each part has three chapters, for a total of 12 chapters filled with life lessons I’ve learned to help you and supportive adults understand and successfully navigate through foster care together.
Phase 1 is (R)oot.
To help you and your adult supporter(s) gain an understanding of some of the basics of foster care and how you can begin to understand everyone’s role and who to contact when your needs are not being met. After you gain that understanding, we kick off with grooming your mind to prepare you for the remaining chapters of this book.
Phase 2 is (E)nvision
To help you and your supportive adult(s) understand the importance of working together. You will learn why you need healthy loving relationships around you and how to begin acquiring them.
Phase 3 is (A)scension
Each chapter in this phase helps you build your self-confidence and further root and envision your life far beyond foster care. This phase will support you and your supportive adults’ understanding of the next steps, and help you begin to actively seek out what you need in order to ensure your success.
Phase 4 is (L)iberation
In this last phase of this book, you will have understood the foundations of where you are in your life and where you want to go. You will have begun putting systems in place to support your big vision. You will know who you need in your life and who you will need to release in order to achieve your version of success. You will also begin to uncover your divine purpose, do what is needed to achieve freedom from your past, and accelerate into soulful liberation.
At the end of the day, these 4 R.E.A.L success phases can only support you in your journey if you are open to it, and ready to do the work. Nothing in this life worth acquiring will be “easy”, at least not at first. Sometimes, when learning something new or starting a new habit, it can feel overwhelming until you get into the flow of your new reality. The best part about a new paradigm shift is you actually get to choose. You get to choose if you’d like to hold on to your limitations. You get to choose if you will make it a priority to heal and release generational curses from your family’s lineage. You get to choose if you are ready and willing to achieve holistic healing and R.E.A.L success. Keep in mind that with every choice, there are consequences and rewards. Choose wisely.
As the title states, this handbook is purposely geared toward Black and brown youth, yet it is also beneficial to anyone reading these lessons who desires a deeper knowledge and understanding regarding the foster care system and institutional racism in America.
Foster care is a global enterprise complicated by often conflicting agendas of stakeholders in spite of a common concern for the overall well-being, and care for young people. Any institution involving billions of dollars is bound to require periodic assessment, accountability, and reform. Perhaps even a revolution. And, as I’ve learned over the years, these things take time. As we continue to focus on the advancements of these systems in place, I believe that the holistic well-being and success of young people in foster care is something we need to support now!
Well, yesterday, but we will settle for now!
T-Edits 