June 29, 2022
Magda was born in Praia, Cape Verde and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 4. Her family settled in Rhode Island. Magda taught herself the English language through various children's shows like Barney and Sesame Street. She became fascinated with writing early on. She began writing poetry and short stories in Elementary school, performing her first piece in front of her 1st grade class. Magda continued writing in Middle school and used her poetry as a therapeutic escape to navigate through a traumatic time in her life. It became her saving grace when she had nowhere to turn.
Magda continued her writing into High School as it remained a positive outlet. At the age of 17 Magda became pregnant with her first child. Despite those around her telling her she would become a failure, Magda graduated High school with honors. As she navigated through the difficulties of being a young mother and continuously trying to prove herself, Magda focused her efforts on providing for her family and continuing her education. Despite all odds she graduated college with High Honors and went on to become a registered Radiologic Technologist and then ultimately a certification as an MRI Technologist. After giving birth to her third son, Magda thought it was time to give her writing another try. She continued working on her poetry and then at the age of 33 she realized her dream of becoming a published author.
Honestly, I think I discovered my love for writing as soon as I could properly piece together words in the English language. It definitely has always been my first love. I truly enjoyed being able to express myself through my writing. I would get lost in the short stories and poems I would create, closing my eyes and envisioning each scene. Even when I would listen to music, the lyrics and story were always just as important as the melody for me.
Yes! My first published book is titled "My Name Is King". It's a book that discusses the importance of self love and positive affirmations. It is centered around the main character, King who walks in on his mother practicing her affirmations. This prompts a powerful conversation between them. The conversation that happens in the story is based on a real experience I had with my oldest son as a child.
He was teased about his skin being too dark which forced me to refrain from keeping him in a bubble and instead, have those uncomfortable conversations and instill the importance of self love. I had to remind him that he was perfect the way he is and that no one can take away his power. As a mother to three black sons, I knew it was important to get this message out, especially in a way where young black and brown boys can identify themselves in. We are so used to seeing negative depictions of black and brown boys in the media. I knew they desperately needed to see themselves in this positive manner. As kings, not criminals.
Yes, I practice my affirmations daily, through writing and visually by keeping positive affirmations around my mirror. Affirmations have played a huge part in my adult life. I wish it was something I started practicing as a child. I started working on my self love journey in my 30's and have seen such a positive impact in my life. I can only imagine the changes I would have experienced if I started earlier.
I definitely relate to the mother in this story the most. I experienced racism as a young child into adulthood. I also experienced Colorism amongst my peers for having a darker complexion. These experiences really took a toll on my self esteem. The work I have put in as an adult has been focused on undoing the insecurities I gained as a child. I can also relate to the main character, King. I believe he represents the young child within me that needed healing. That's why I believe this book can have a positive impact on adults as well as children.
The part that was the hardest for me to write was the part where the mother was divulging her past experiences. It's always difficult to go back to painful memories but it is a necessary part of healing.
The book was definitely a family project which is what makes it that much more special. My two youngest children were featured as characters in the book. My middle son, Jayden played the main character, King. My husband, Danny took the photographs that were used to create the animations of the characters. Lastly, my oldest son, Jovani contributed to the book in a special way. He learned the digital art technique to help plan out my vision. He then mastered a new platform and illustrated the background for the entire book. He is now a published illustrator at 15!
Absolutely. To all the immigrant children out there. I want you to know that you matter.As an immigrant from Cape Verde I can attest to the fact that learning a new language and customs is not easy. I was lucky enough to start Kindergarten in the U.S. Starting later is even harder. Immigrant children are strong, resilient and should never forget that. They are capable of achieving anything they put their minds to. To the youth and adults who are survivors of childhood trauma. I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, I believe you and you are NOT alone. The most common feeling that these survivors have is the feeling that they are alone in this battle. I want them to know that they ARE worthy of experiencing good things in their lives despite what they experienced. That their trauma doesn't define them. They CAN rise above it. It's not easy, but it is possible.
Thank you! I have always been a good student and very hard on myself when it came to my grades. I was that student that would cringe at anything less than an A. I know now that a lot of that came from constantly feeling like I had something to prove. My biggest obstacles came from silently dealing with my traumas while trying to maintain the image of perfection. When I became pregnant my senior year in high school, it was an added pressure to prove everyone wrong now that I added the label of "teen mom" to my list. I was bombarded by people telling me I wouldn't amount to anything and that my life was over. However, at that point I focused on proving them wrong for the sake of my unborn child. He was my driving force to push through. I knew I needed to and wanted to make HIM proud!
Self love is so extremely important. It is vital to you being the best version of yourself. We often focus on the outside, keeping up with our outer appearance. But like a home, keeping up with the appearance, the paint job, shutters and doors. That part is important. However, the foundation is what keeps the house standing. If the foundation isn't taken care of, the house will crumble. We have to put the most work into our foundation. Our mental and emotional well being. We cannot love and do for others if we do not learn to love ourselves first. I would tell my younger self that she is beautiful! That she is perfect just the way she is. I would tell her that no one is worthy of taking away her confidence. That no one deserves the access to write her story. I'd tell her to remove the mask that was created by the opinions of others and instead fall in love with the reflection that's staring back at her!
That is a great question and something I'm honestly still adjusting too. I think the key is to learn to not be too hard on ourselves. I had to learn to let go of the things I cannot control and only take on what I can handle. Society paints a picture that moms are supposed to be "superheroes" but I think that idea can be damaging and put unnecessary pressure on moms. Motherhood doesn't come with a manual. We have to figure it out as we go. Moms are pretty amazing but we ARE still human. We have to be ok with the not so great days. just remember you tried your best.
I want to make my children proud and show them what is possible with hard work. That's why I will continue to put out the best work as I can as an author and fight for the success I know I deserve. Getting my message out to the world is what's most important to me and I will continue to strive for that. As a wife I try and support my husband with his dreams and goals as much as he supports mine. We started our family at a young age, but we cannot forget to pour into our individual selves and our marriage as well. As a friend I have learned to just be present as much as I can but no longer pour from an empty cup. I listen to my body and intuition. I only put myself in environments and around people that can reciprocate positive energy and meaningful conversations. For me, that's been the only way I can juggle it all and still remain whole.
The sky is the limit! I will continue writing and look forward to releasing more books. I will also continue my work in the community and beyond to motivate any and everyone who can benefit from my message through my content and speaking engagements. You can follow me on instagram and Tik tok at @magda_delgado1. You can also email me at magdasspace@gmail.com and my website is https://www.sincerelymagda.com
Magda was born in Praia, Cape Verde and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 4. Her family settled in Rhode Island. Magda taught herself the English language through various children's shows like Barney and Sesame Street. She became fascinated with writing early on. She began writing poetry and short stories in Elementary school, performing her first piece in front of her 1st grade class. Magda continued writing in Middle school and used her poetry as a therapeutic escape to navigate through a traumatic time in her life. It became her saving grace when she had nowhere to turn.
Magda continued her writing into High School as it remained a positive outlet. At the age of 17 Magda became pregnant with her first child. Despite those around her telling her she would become a failure, Magda graduated High school with honors. As she navigated through the difficulties of being a young mother and continuously trying to prove herself, Magda focused her efforts on providing for her family and continuing her education. Despite all odds she graduated college with High Honors and went on to become a registered Radiologic Technologist and then ultimately a certification as an MRI Technologist. After giving birth to her third son, Magda thought it was time to give her writing another try. She continued working on her poetry and then at the age of 33 she realized her dream of becoming a published author.
Honestly, I think I discovered my love for writing as soon as I could properly piece together words in the English language. It definitely has always been my first love. I truly enjoyed being able to express myself through my writing. I would get lost in the short stories and poems I would create, closing my eyes and envisioning each scene. Even when I would listen to music, the lyrics and story were always just as important as the melody for me.
Yes! My first published book is titled "My Name Is King". It's a book that discusses the importance of self love and positive affirmations. It is centered around the main character, King who walks in on his mother practicing her affirmations. This prompts a powerful conversation between them. The conversation that happens in the story is based on a real experience I had with my oldest son as a child.
He was teased about his skin being too dark which forced me to refrain from keeping him in a bubble and instead, have those uncomfortable conversations and instill the importance of self love. I had to remind him that he was perfect the way he is and that no one can take away his power. As a mother to three black sons, I knew it was important to get this message out, especially in a way where young black and brown boys can identify themselves in. We are so used to seeing negative depictions of black and brown boys in the media. I knew they desperately needed to see themselves in this positive manner. As kings, not criminals.
Yes, I practice my affirmations daily, through writing and visually by keeping positive affirmations around my mirror. Affirmations have played a huge part in my adult life. I wish it was something I started practicing as a child. I started working on my self love journey in my 30's and have seen such a positive impact in my life. I can only imagine the changes I would have experienced if I started earlier.
I definitely relate to the mother in this story the most. I experienced racism as a young child into adulthood. I also experienced Colorism amongst my peers for having a darker complexion. These experiences really took a toll on my self esteem. The work I have put in as an adult has been focused on undoing the insecurities I gained as a child. I can also relate to the main character, King. I believe he represents the young child within me that needed healing. That's why I believe this book can have a positive impact on adults as well as children.
The part that was the hardest for me to write was the part where the mother was divulging her past experiences. It's always difficult to go back to painful memories but it is a necessary part of healing.
The book was definitely a family project which is what makes it that much more special. My two youngest children were featured as characters in the book. My middle son, Jayden played the main character, King. My husband, Danny took the photographs that were used to create the animations of the characters. Lastly, my oldest son, Jovani contributed to the book in a special way. He learned the digital art technique to help plan out my vision. He then mastered a new platform and illustrated the background for the entire book. He is now a published illustrator at 15!
Absolutely. To all the immigrant children out there. I want you to know that you matter.As an immigrant from Cape Verde I can attest to the fact that learning a new language and customs is not easy. I was lucky enough to start Kindergarten in the U.S. Starting later is even harder. Immigrant children are strong, resilient and should never forget that. They are capable of achieving anything they put their minds to. To the youth and adults who are survivors of childhood trauma. I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, I believe you and you are NOT alone. The most common feeling that these survivors have is the feeling that they are alone in this battle. I want them to know that they ARE worthy of experiencing good things in their lives despite what they experienced. That their trauma doesn't define them. They CAN rise above it. It's not easy, but it is possible.
Thank you! I have always been a good student and very hard on myself when it came to my grades. I was that student that would cringe at anything less than an A. I know now that a lot of that came from constantly feeling like I had something to prove. My biggest obstacles came from silently dealing with my traumas while trying to maintain the image of perfection. When I became pregnant my senior year in high school, it was an added pressure to prove everyone wrong now that I added the label of "teen mom" to my list. I was bombarded by people telling me I wouldn't amount to anything and that my life was over. However, at that point I focused on proving them wrong for the sake of my unborn child. He was my driving force to push through. I knew I needed to and wanted to make HIM proud!
Self love is so extremely important. It is vital to you being the best version of yourself. We often focus on the outside, keeping up with our outer appearance. But like a home, keeping up with the appearance, the paint job, shutters and doors. That part is important. However, the foundation is what keeps the house standing. If the foundation isn't taken care of, the house will crumble. We have to put the most work into our foundation. Our mental and emotional well being. We cannot love and do for others if we do not learn to love ourselves first. I would tell my younger self that she is beautiful! That she is perfect just the way she is. I would tell her that no one is worthy of taking away her confidence. That no one deserves the access to write her story. I'd tell her to remove the mask that was created by the opinions of others and instead fall in love with the reflection that's staring back at her!
That is a great question and something I'm honestly still adjusting too. I think the key is to learn to not be too hard on ourselves. I had to learn to let go of the things I cannot control and only take on what I can handle. Society paints a picture that moms are supposed to be "superheroes" but I think that idea can be damaging and put unnecessary pressure on moms. Motherhood doesn't come with a manual. We have to figure it out as we go. Moms are pretty amazing but we ARE still human. We have to be ok with the not so great days. just remember you tried your best.
I want to make my children proud and show them what is possible with hard work. That's why I will continue to put out the best work as I can as an author and fight for the success I know I deserve. Getting my message out to the world is what's most important to me and I will continue to strive for that. As a wife I try and support my husband with his dreams and goals as much as he supports mine. We started our family at a young age, but we cannot forget to pour into our individual selves and our marriage as well. As a friend I have learned to just be present as much as I can but no longer pour from an empty cup. I listen to my body and intuition. I only put myself in environments and around people that can reciprocate positive energy and meaningful conversations. For me, that's been the only way I can juggle it all and still remain whole.
The sky is the limit! I will continue writing and look forward to releasing more books. I will also continue my work in the community and beyond to motivate any and everyone who can benefit from my message through my content and speaking engagements. You can follow me on instagram and Tik tok at @magda_delgado1. You can also email me at magdasspace@gmail.com and my website is https://www.sincerelymagda.com
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