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On The Record

'Black Boy Smile:' D. Watkins' memoir in moments

By Sheilah Kast,
Melissa Gerr
Published May 27, 2022 at 9:53 AM EDT
Credit: Provided by author
Credit: Provided by author

D. Watkins is tired of the lies. Lies about being tough, about not feeling pain … or loss … or rejection.

In his latest book, ‘Black Boy Smile: A Memoir in Moments,’ he shows how he learned to face those lies and push through to the truth. He hopes everyone, especially young Black men and boys, find that strength from his stories:

“I want them to understand that we all have the power to write our own scripts. I want them to understand that even if you’re from a rough environment, you still deserve a happy ending, you deserve to be loved, you deserve people to care about you and you deserve to care about other people.”

Links: D. Watkins, Black Boy Smile reading at the Ivy Bookshop May 31, Book sales.

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On The Record Black BaltimoreOn the RecordWYPR ProgramsD. Watkins
Sheilah Kast
Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
See stories by Sheilah Kast
Melissa Gerr
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'
See stories by Melissa Gerr