When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors

Questions for readers at the end of each chapter will prompt discussion and awakening and even inspire action.Ī gripping, much-needed memoir about a Black woman, a movement, and people fighting for freedom denied.Ī miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.Įli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. Part memoir, part call to action, the message is clear: Black Lives Matter despite systems and inhumane practices that say otherwise. Most importantly, the authors share principles and beliefs that speak to what is needed to facilitate and achieve necessary changes to a blood-stained, toxic, fatal disease of American society. Readers will understand and connect the traumas experienced by Black people in America for centuries, from Jim Crow to the war on drugs to modern-day slavery in the form of the prison system. With assistance from co-author bandele, a noted writer and journalist, Khan-Cullors shares private and public challenges and victories.

Still, the author and activist maintains a message of action-based hope, life-sustaining love, and community support. The many unjust interactions she and her community have had with law enforcement make for a heart-wrenching read. From stories of her biological and chosen family to her wider community, the writing overflows with honesty, compassion, courage, and love.

Using journal entries, Khan-Cullors recalls with sometimes excruciating detail finding and developing aspects of herself that would cumulatively create her identity.

In this young readers’ adaptation of the 2018 original, a Black Lives Matter co-founder recounts growing up in a society that sought to punish her mere existence.

When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors