"Young, gifted and black, Open your heart to what I mean . . . " Nina Simone's popular anthem from the civil rights movement speaks to both the celebrations and trials of the Black experience. Young, Gifted, and Black gives voice to the real-life stories of Black millennials and younger adults. If life was a race, it's assumed that every runner has a fair shot at winning. However, it's not always the case for young, gifted, and Black folks. Sheila Wise Rowe goes beyond the common narrative that focuses solely on their success or struggle. Her stories of celebration and lament point toward hope, joy, and healing. Drawing from her years of experience in counseling trauma and abuse survivors, she provides stories, reflections, and tools for Black readers of all ages and their allies. These stories offer an opportunity to explore, reflect, and journey toward healing from the barriers that affect their lives, the lives of their children, and their communities.

2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award - Multicultural 2021 Christianity Today Book Award - Christian Living/Discipleship Award Publishers Weekly starred review "People of color have endured traumatic histories and almost daily assaults on our dignity. We have prayed about racism, been in denial, or acted out in anger, but we have not known how to individually or collectively pursue healing from the racial trauma." As a child, Sheila Wise Rowe was bused across town to a majority white school, where she experienced the racist lie that one group is superior to all others. This lie continues to be perpetuated today by the action or inaction of the government, media, viral videos, churches, and within families of origin. In contrast, Scripture declares that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. Rowe, a professional counselor, exposes the symptoms of racial trauma to lead readers to a place of freedom from the past and new life for the future. In each chapter, she includes an interview with a person of color to explore how we experience and resolve racial trauma. With Rowe as a reliable guide who has both been on the journey and shown others the way forward, you will find a safe pathway to resilience.