An Abolitionist's Handbook
12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
From the Co-Founder of the #BlackLivesMatter, a bold, innovative, and humanistic approach to being a modern-day abolitionist
In An Abolitionist’s Handbook, New York Times bestselling author, artist, and activist Patrisse Cullors charts a framework for how everyday artists, activists, and organizers can effectively fight for an abolitionist present and future. Filled with relatable pedagogy on the history of abolition, a reimagining of what reparations look like for Black lives, and real-life anecdotes from Cullors, An Abolitionist’s Handbook asks us to lead with love, fierce compassion, and precision. Readers will learn the 12 steps to change yourself and the world.
An Abolitionist’s Handbook is for those who are looking to reimagine a world where communities are treated with dignity, care and respect. It gives us permission to move away from cancel culture and into visioning change and healing.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Maybe you care about social justice but don’t know how to help, or maybe you’re a seasoned protester. Either way, this book will make you a better activist—from the inside out. In this life-changing guide, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors helps us examine and change our thoughts, biases, and everyday behaviors when it comes to race. As she explains, abolishing the structures and systems that perpetuate inequality starts in the way we interact with the world on an individual level. So each engaging chapter highlights a different way for us to do just that, like changing the way we respond to tragedies and disagreements (moving away from emotional reactions and toward thoughtful responses) and forcing ourselves to speak up and have uncomfortable conversations, especially with fellow allies. She ends each chapter with prompts and challenges to facilitate your journey. If you’re ready to truly be the change you want to see in the world, prove it—with An Abolitionist’s Handbook.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cullors (When They Call You a Terrorist), a cofounder of the Black Lives Matter movement, delivers an accessible if diffuse guide to "abolitionist practice." According to Cullors, abolition "centers on getting rid of prisons, jails, police, courts and surveillance," but also includes the fight for improved water quality in cities and a more equal distribution of streaming revenue for musicians ("If there is any part of your life where you are trying to get free, it connects to abolitionist practice"). She draws on her personal life and activist experiences to offer advice on how to have "courageous conversations" about difficult subjects, and how to "imagin beyond the status quo" of "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy." Elsewhere, she recounts the actions she took as a high school guidance counselor when a student alleged that a teacher was sexually abusing another student. In addition to notifying the authorities, Cullors informed the perpetrator of the accusation and offered to talk to him about it (she never heard back), and created discussion groups for faculty and students to learn about restorative justice. Though Cullors broadens the scope of "abolition" so far that the concept begins to lose some of its meaning, her guidance on how to achieve personal and social transformation is enlightening. Readers will be inspired to take action.
