Title: When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
Author: Patrisse Khan-Cullors
First published January 16, 2018
257 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781250171085 (ISBN10: 1250171083)
Rating: 4.51
Overview
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors is a beautifully written and deeply moving memoir that explores the harsh realities of what it means to be a Black woman in America. Growing up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Los Angeles, Patrisse was no stranger to the systemic racism and persecution that Black Americans face on a daily basis at the hands of law enforcement.
She saw how Black people were deliberately targeted and subjected to unjustifiable racial profiling and police brutality, and knew that she had to do something to make a change.
In 2013, Patrisse co-founded Black Lives Matter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, a movement that would become a powerful force for change and accountability in the face of violent racism. Despite being condemned as terrorists and threats to America, these three women refused to be silenced.
They founded a hashtag that would go on to inspire a global movement, demanding that authorities be held responsible for the injustices inflicted upon people of Black and Brown skin.
Throughout the book, Patrisse shares her personal experiences with racism and discrimination, and how she transformed her pain into political power. Her story is a testament to the strength and resilience of Black women, and a call to action to change the culture that declares innocent Black life expendable.
When They Call You a Terrorist is a powerful and empowering memoir that will leave you feeling inspired and motivated to fight for justice and equality for all.
About the Author
Meet Patrisse Cullors, a Los Angeles-based artist, organizer, and freedom fighter. She is the co-founder of Black Lives Matter and is widely recognized as a performance artist, public speaker, and NAACP History Maker.
Her work in activism and movement building has earned her many awards, including the title of Civil Rights Leader for the 21st Century by the Los Angeles Times, and a Glamour 2016 Woman of the Year. Currently, she is touring selective cities with her multimedia performance art piece, POWER: From the Mouths of the Occupied.
For Patrisse, the journey towards freedom has been lifelong. Growing up, she witnessed several of her loved ones experience brutality and incarceration at the hands of the state.
Coming out as queer at an early age, she formed close connections with other young, queer women who were dealing with poverty and the challenges of being Black and Brown in the USA. Since then, Patrisse has worked tirelessly to promote law enforcement accountability across the world, while simultaneously addressing trauma and building resilience and health in the communities most affected.
At 22, Patrisse received the Mario Savio Young Activist Award for her work as a transformative organizer. She later received a Fulbright Scholarship and obtained a degree in religion and philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2012.
In that same year, she curated her first performance art piece, STAINED: An Intimate Portrayal of State Violence, which fearlessly addressed the violence of incarceration. The tour of this performance piece led to the formation of the Coalition to End Sheriff Violence and eventually her non-profit, Dignity and Power Now, both of which have achieved several victories for the abolitionist movement, including the formation of Los Angeles’ first civilian oversight commission over the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
In the summer of 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman for his murder of Trayvon Martin, Patrisse co-founded the global movement Black Lives Matter. The organization has since grown into an international movement with dozens of chapters and thousands of determined activists fighting anti-Black racism worldwide.
Patrisse has received numerous honors for her work, including the Contribution to Oversight Award by the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) in 2014. In 2015, she was named a NAACP History Maker and a Civil Rights Leader for the 21st Century by the Los Angeles Times.
Additionally, she was invited to the White House and awarded the Racial Justice Grant by Google to support her ongoing project, Justice Teams for Truth and Reinvestment, which develops a rapid response network to mobilize communities in response to law enforcement violence. Patrisse also works with many organizations worldwide, including supporting the ACLU’s development of their Mobile Justice app.
In 2016, Patrisse delivered the keynote address at over a dozen colleges and universities, including American University, The University of Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell. She was named a Leading Edge Fund Fellow by The Rosenberg Foundation and a Senior Fellow for Maternal Mortality by MomsRising.
She also received the Defender of the Dream Award from the National Action Network.
Editoral Review
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors is a powerful and poignant personal memoir that offers a raw and unfiltered look into the experiences of a Black woman growing up in America. The book was first published on January 16, 2018, and was co-authored by asha bandele.
Khan-Cullors is a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has gained worldwide recognition for its work in raising awareness about systemic racism, police brutality, and social injustice. The memoir chronicles her personal experiences with racism, poverty, and police brutality, and offers a firsthand account of the events that led to the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The book is written in a conversational and intimate style, with Khan-Cullors sharing personal anecdotes and reflections that make the reader feel as though they are listening to a friend. She takes the reader on a journey through her childhood in Los Angeles, her experiences with racism and police brutality, and her eventual activism and co-founding of the Black Lives Matter movement.
One of the strengths of When They Call You a Terrorist is its ability to contextualize the Black Lives Matter movement within the broader historical and cultural context of the United States. The book highlights the ways in which systemic racism has been perpetuated throughout American history, and how it continues to impact the lives of Black people today.
The book is also an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about police brutality and social justice, particularly in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. Khan-Cullors’ personal experiences with police violence and the criminal justice system offer a powerful testament to the urgent need for change.
However, the book is not without its flaws. At times, the narrative can be disjointed and difficult to follow, with Khan-Cullors jumping between different periods of her life and different events without much explanation.
Additionally, some readers may find the book to be overly political or preachy, with Khan-Cullors advocating for specific policy changes and social justice initiatives throughout.
Despite these limitations, When They Call You a Terrorist is a must-read for anyone interested in social justice, racial inequality, and police brutality. The book is well-written and engaging, and Khan-Cullors’ personal story is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
It is a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality in America, and a call to action for all those who believe in a better future for all.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Black Lives Matter movement or the fight for social justice in America. I give it a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5, based on its powerful storytelling, important themes, and overall impact.
