"There’s something curious that happens to Black girls on their way to puberty: We disappear into an imaginary telephone booth and emerge as miniature superheroes. Hit by a speeding bullet of outside forces—race-based sexism and society’s impossible expectations—former civilians begin to take cover behind an ancient mask of impenetrability. Out secret identity—sweet, innocent, approachable—becomes just that, a secret. It’s the identity we share with only a trusted few, the small circle we’ve vetted and deemed worthy."