“When They Call You a Terrorist” by Patrisse Cullors and asha bandele
Cover of When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir.
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, published in January 2020, is a memoir of the life of Patrisse Cullors, author, abolitionist, and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. It tells her personal story and the “movement that demands justice for all in the land of the free” (Bookshop).
Buy the book on Bookshop ($16).
Learn more using the One Book, One Richmond discussion guide.
About When They Call You a Terrorist
About Black Lives Matter
The Black Lives Matter movement is one of the most significant mobilization efforts for racial equity. The movement has inspired similar movements across the world and solidarity of injustices that Black people face on a global scale. The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 accelerated this work; on May 28, 2020, there were nearly 8.8 million tweets with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. In the weeks that followed, an estimated 15 million to 26 million people participated in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S, making it the largest movement in history (NYTimes).
The book’s title references the vitriol that the Black Lives Matter movement experienced in its early days – and continues to experience to this day. Just last year, a training guide for law enforcement listed Black Lives Matter as a “revolutionary movement whose aims are to overthrow the U.S. government" and claims they are planning “extreme violence” (ABC). In addition, the FBI is actively tracking Black activists under a domestic terrorism category called “black identity extremism” (The Intercept). But this isn’t new; throughout history, the FBI has used valuable resources to track, interrogate, and even kill Black activists (Brennan Center).
In contrast, the organization has always stood for the safety and protection of Black lives. Whether directly organized by BLM chapters or inspired by the Black Lives Matter slogan, protests and demonstrations have been overwhelmingly peaceful, and much of any violence present was sparked by law enforcement or counter-protestors (Time). In February 2021, the organization was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The nominator hopes the action "will send a powerful message that peace is founded on equality, solidarity, and human rights” (NBC News).
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We deserve to be our own gardeners and deserve to have gardeners. Mentors and teachers who bring the sunlight, the rain, the whispered voices above the seedling that say, Grow, baby, grow. We deserve love. Thick, full-bodied and healthy. Love. … In this place and in this time, when hate and the harshest version of living dominate, when even the worst assaults are blamed on the victims, when bullying has become ever present, limitless, we have come to say that we can be more than the worst of the hate. We say that this is what we mean when we say Black Lives Matter.
Patrisse Cullors, in When They Call You a Terrorist
About Patrisse Cullors
“Patrisse Cullors is a The New York Times bestselling author, educator, artist, and abolitionist from Los Angeles, CA. Co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Patrisse has been on the frontlines of abolitionist organizing for 20 years. Since she began the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, it has expanded into a global foundation supporting Black led movements in the US, UK, and Canada and has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. The significance of the Black Lives Matter movement has been recognized by The New York Times as the ‘largest movement in US history.’ TIME 100 also named Patrisse as the 100 most influential people in 2020” (from Cullors’ website). Cullors' second book, An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Change Yourself and the World, will be available for purchase on Oct. 5 (People).
Reflection Questions
- How has the media shaped your perception of the Black Lives Matter movement?
- Why is it important to center Black female leaders in the civil rights movement?
- How can you be a more active supporter of racial equity?
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