Words as a Weapon and a Whisper: Challenging Narratives and Redefining My Story

Dr. Mercedes Samudio, DSW, LCSW
7 min readApr 6, 2024

TL;dr: From a straight-A academic who thought every word must be laden with profound meaning, to discovering the true power of writing as liberation and healing — I’ve navigated the expectations of excellence as a Black girl in America to find my voice. Through embracing my prismatic identity and shedding the weight of oppressive narratives, I’ve journeyed from writing as a survival tool to expressing myself with unapologetic softness and joy. This is a tale of transformation, from believing writing must always be important, to finding importance in simply being true to oneself.

“Graphic with books forming a circular pattern in the background. Overlaid texts read ‘WORDS AS A WEAPON AND A WHISPER’ and ‘Challenging Narratives and Redefining My Story’ alongside icons of books with stars. An inkwell and quill on parchment are in the corner.”
Graphic with books forming a circular pattern in the background. Overlaid texts read ‘WORDS AS A WEAPON AND A WHISPER’ and ‘Challenging Narratives and Redefining My Story’ alongside icons of books with stars. An inkwell and quill on parchment are in the corner.

You’re an…Okay Writer

It’s true. I’m an okay writer. Actually, I’m a great writer. Well, I’m an okay writer who thinks they’re a great writer. And that’s good enough. For now.

But on the path to this discovery, I learned that writing, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. As a child, I don’t think I knew that. I read, voraciously. But I also wrote, passionately. If I read something, my brain immediately wanted to recreate it. And usually, with the aplomb of a child, I could figure out the structure and copy it. We’re talking elementary, middle grade stuff here, folks: Mildred D. Taylor, R.L. Stine, Lois Duncan, Roald Dahl, and the like. Not that I was penning…

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Dr. Mercedes Samudio, DSW, LCSW
Dr. Mercedes Samudio, DSW, LCSW

Written by Dr. Mercedes Samudio, DSW, LCSW

Clinician, Researcher, author of Shame Proof Parenting, AfroNerd, Hufflepuff, & MCU mythologist shifting the narrative for Black mental health

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