When They Call You a Terrorist
A Black Lives Matter Memoir
Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bandele
“Twelve. That was the year that I learned that being Black and poor defined me more than being bright and hopeful and ready.”
Available as Paperback, eBook, Downloadable audio
The powerful memoir of one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter which explores how the movement was born
Following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, three women – Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Khan-Cullors – came together to form an active response to the systemic racism causing the deaths of so many African-Americans. They simply said: Black Lives Matter; and for that, they were labelled terrorists.
In this empowering account of survival, strength and resilience, Patrisse Khan-Cullors and award-winning author and journalist asha bandele recount the personal story that led Patrisse to become a founder of Black Lives Matter, seeking to end the culture that declares Black life expendable. Like the era-defining movement she helped create, this rallying cry demands you do not look away.
With foreword by Angela Davis.
“A lyrical demand for justice that has become increasingly resonant … incredible … this book is proof that change can come through the individual”
stylist
See more reviews
“An empowering account of strength, resilience and bravery”
elle Magazine
“Tackling the whole gamut (racism, economics, freedom, sexuality, mental health, familial love, sisterhood and beyond), this is the portrait of modern America we should all be buying”
emerald Street
“Khan-Cullors is careful to hold herself to account … This humility, alongside her exceptional commitment to social justice, provides the greatest cause for optimism in this harrowing and yet uplifting account”
Musa Okwonga
new Statesman
“A stunning memoir but also a beautifully articulated letter of protest and outrage. I couldn’t recommend it more highly”
Shirley Manson
independent
Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bandele
Patrisse Khan-Cullors is an artist, organizer, and freedom fighter from Los Angeles, CA. Co-founder of Black Lives Matter, she is also a performance artist, Fulbright scholar, popular public speaker, and an NAACP History Maker.
asha bandele, author of the bestselling memoir, The Prisoner’s Wife, has been honoured for her work in journalism, fiction, poetry, and activism. A mother and a former senior editor at Essence magazine, asha serves as a senior director at the Drug Policy Alliance.
Do the work: an anti-racist reading list
“What will happen after this news cycle is over and social media posts about diversity die down? Layla F Saad chooses books to fortify a long-term struggle.”
Layla F Saad
Guardian
When They Call You a Terrorist
Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bandele
“A revealing scene from her memoir narrates the time Khan-Cullors was invited to dinner at a white classmate’s house. She admires how the family sits down to eat together, discussing their aspirations – only to learn that the father, who is so gently encouraging, is the slumlord trying to evict her family from their home.”
Patrisse Khan-Cullors interviewed on the fifth anniversary of Black Lives Matter.
Dazed
