Judy Willis

In the phenomenal book, Reclaim Your Power! A 30-Day Guide to Hope, Healing, and Inspiration for Men of Color, author, activist and lecturer Terrance Dean provides an instructional guide for men to recapture their authentic personal power. Quotes from men of distinction such as Thurgood Marshall, Mahatma Gandhi, and others note paths that can be taken to actualize your life’s purpose. Readers are asked to listen, show kindness, be obedient to the guidance of Spirit, display emotion and enjoy the journey. The narrative that frames each chapter counters the notion that black men are merely an endangered species worthy of fear and loathing, noting the tremendous loss of human potential that occurs when anger and unrelenting hopelessness becomes the only ally. Daily exercises challenge the reader to address the issues of trust, responsibility, integrity and honesty in their own lives. Dean offers his own poignant story of redemption and transformation revealing the broken places that were shattered by a life of bitterness and anger. Recovering from such psychic trauma could only occur when he invited Spirit in to begin the process of healing. The first step of his healing journey involved forgiving his mother for her drug addiction; his brothers for dying of AIDS and himself for the years spent running from the love that was buried in each of their hearts. Understanding that his story was not unique, he sought out groups that offered a safe haven for men who were seeking to heal. His desire to heal amongst other males resulted in his founding Men’s Empowerment, Inc., a New York-based not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to the transformation of men of color for their own upliftment. I applaud Dean for the honesty and insightfulness that makes Reclaim Your Power! a must-read for every man who wants to live an ethical life marked by dedication and commitment. This book provides the permission needed for men to define how they want to be represented in the world. And gives them the power “to live the life they sing about in their song.” In these perilous times this much-needed message that love is the only weapon must prevail.