Strong Girls, Strong Women

An inspirational non-fiction memoir about inner-city girls who grew up in a low-income Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood and were the first in their families to attend college. The book is a blueprint for raising children to be strong, resilient adults. The influences of the diverse cultures in their neighborhood and its unique educational system resulted in women who left their neighborhood and became successful in cities throughout the United States. The author emphasizes the importance of family history, mentors, the arts, pets, plants and teaching young people as fast as they can learn.

Strong Girls, Strong Women, follows the paths of eight girls who remain friends from elementary school until their seventh decade. This memoir documents the progression of these girls to becoming successful women. The overall message that is conveyed is applicable to all. The women who are chronicled in this book experience the joy of being in a school district that stressed competition and success and a neighborhood that functioned as a " family village." The book provides an inside look at the neighborhoods in which the "girls" were raised and the impact of integration and discrimination during the fifties and sixties. The neighborhood entertainment of roller skating, movies, dark basement parties and amusement parks are explored. The impact of those experiences and upbringing contributed to well-rounded adult women. The not so pretty aspects of life, such as unwed pregnancy, are also addressed. The memoir makes a strong case that many negative influences and obstacles can be overcome with other counterinfluences that surround young people. The eight girls referenced in the book became strong, resilient, successful women in cities throughout the country. They continue their elementary school bond in their senior years. The book is a manifesto for the principal that with the right influences and surroundings, one can overcome just about anything. A strong base of skills can sustain women and men well into their senior years.

Marcia Barnes is a corporate lawyer, business consultant, coach, and author. She seeks to educate and inspire in all that she does. She has been a trailblazer throughout her life. As a former legal officer for a global Japanese company and managing counsel for a global U.S. chemical and medical device company, she traveled throughout the world with a personal mission of building bridges. As one of the first black females to lead a corporate law department, Barnes noticed limited advancement and connectivity between Black lawyers. She set upon a path to advocate for diversity and inclusion. In 1999, she co-founded the Charting Your Own Course career development conference. Barnes has served on numerous boards of directors and has received many local and national awards and honors for her contributions and volunteerism.