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On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope
"On the Other Side of Freedom reveals the mind and motivations of a young man who has risen to the fore of millennial activism through study, discipline, and conviction. His belief in a world that can be made better, one act at a time, powers his narratives and opens up a view on the costs, consequences, and rewards of leading a movement."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
From the internationally recognized civil rights activist/organizer and host of the podcast Pod Save the People, a meditation on resistance, justice, and freedom, and an intimate portrait of a movement from the front lines.
In August of 2014, twenty-nine-year-old activist DeRay Mckesson stood with hundreds of others on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, to push a message of justice and accountability. These protests, and others like them in cities across the country, resulted in the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, in his first book, Mckesson lays out the intellectual, pragmatic political framework for a new liberation movement. Continuing a conversation about activism, resistance, and justice that embraces our nation's complex history, he dissects how deliberate oppression persists, how racial injustice strips our lives of promise, and how technology has added a new dimension to mass action and social change. He argues that our best efforts to combat injustice have been stunted by the belief that racism's wounds are history, and suggests that intellectual purity has curtailed optimistic realism. The book offers a new framework and language for understanding the nature of oppression. With it, we can begin charting a course to dismantle the obvious and subtle structures that limit freedom.
Honest, courageous, and imaginative, On the Other Side of Freedom is a work brimming with hope. Drawing from his own experiences as an activist, organizer, educator, and public official, Mckesson exhorts all Americans to work to dismantle the legacy of racism and to imagine the best of what is possible. Honoring the voices of a new generation of activists, On the Other Side of Freedom is a visionary's call to take responsibility for imagining, and then building, the world we want to live in.
From the internationally recognized civil rights activist/organizer and host of the podcast Pod Save the People, a meditation on resistance, justice, and freedom, and an intimate portrait of a movement from the front lines.
In August of 2014, twenty-nine-year-old activist DeRay Mckesson stood with hundreds of others on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, to push a message of justice and accountability. These protests, and others like them in cities across the country, resulted in the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, in his first book, Mckesson lays out the intellectual, pragmatic political framework for a new liberation movement. Continuing a conversation about activism, resistance, and justice that embraces our nation's complex history, he dissects how deliberate oppression persists, how racial injustice strips our lives of promise, and how technology has added a new dimension to mass action and social change. He argues that our best efforts to combat injustice have been stunted by the belief that racism's wounds are history, and suggests that intellectual purity has curtailed optimistic realism. The book offers a new framework and language for understanding the nature of oppression. With it, we can begin charting a course to dismantle the obvious and subtle structures that limit freedom.
Honest, courageous, and imaginative, On the Other Side of Freedom is a work brimming with hope. Drawing from his own experiences as an activist, organizer, educator, and public official, Mckesson exhorts all Americans to work to dismantle the legacy of racism and to imagine the best of what is possible. Honoring the voices of a new generation of activists, On the Other Side of Freedom is a visionary's call to take responsibility for imagining, and then building, the world we want to live in.
212 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2018
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September 9, 2018
You have to appreciate what DeRay has contributed to the culture.
An idea that he discusses is that sometimes, a lot of the time, people just need someone to point their "founder" label at to make sense of shit that happens in the world. They need to label someone "founder of a movement" to either point their hate at or point their love at and he's been, a lot of the time, the focal point of that sort of attention; whether or not he wanted it.
Then there's this kind of underlying conversation or inner-battle that comes through the text here where it seems like he's not intentionally trying to battle with if he deserves that label although he rejects it.. you get a sense sort of that he's vying for it, but not really. I don't know. It's an underlying tone that I as the reader felt when he described his involvement in the movement. He states that he didn't aim for the "founder of a movement" tag, nor did he want or accept it, that it just sort of manifested the way that it did. I thought that it was honest to see him draw attention to that point because it further highlights that realistically; community ownership and representation matters, even in a crisis, as it should. For people who live in Ferguson and have been organizing against the injustice from time, representation is important. It's important for DeRay to acknowledge that many people directly from that community that he leant his face to have been fighting for justice for ages.
I don't want to say that he admits he's a vulture; but I do want to say that he admits it's important to be there for others and create family and build community when you see something happening that's unjust. It's important to Colin Kapernick and stand for something.
WHICH IS WHY I ALSO only gave this book three stars. I'm tired of seeing faces telling their stories even though it's their book. I know that's a wild concept; but hear me out. I think it's important to continue with the legacy of what you're doing and what you've started to do in the public sphere. I want to see people with platforms amplify the voices that they are trying to amplify by busting open space. Critique and dissect the injustices yes! catalogue them and make them open for public view! You've done a lot for justice (for example he talks about working with academics to index police killings based on already-published news stories to get a clearer picture of the numbers of civilians killed by police), you're doing all this important work so why not fight forward still, sharing educational pieces that incorporate your story instead of your story that incorporates educational pieces deep-rooted in a "look what i did" sort of mentality. It's important to tell your story and yes, the book is good; but it brings about the taste of why people have issues in the first place with DeRay's approach to things. I think if you're really going to tell your story you have to deep dive into your story, that's what people really want to know. Like I feel like the chapter about his mom could have been a whole book. I feel like the chapter about black men, love and homosexuality from the lens of someone in the public eye in a freedom-fighter position is a HUGE story. Maybe he didn't want to jump all the way in, but doing a little touch of it just felt like you don't really want to tell your story, but you have to - for a purpose of.. what exactly? Creating some sort of narrative about your ... Exactly.
I completely understand what he's saying as well when he talks about the need to think of change and reform in multi-leveled ways. It's important to connect with people who don't share the same viewpoints as you (his attempt at connecting We the Protesters w/ Bernie Sanders and backing Hilary Clinton). It's important to trying to push the envelope by a method of engagement rather than separatism. I completely agree. I just wish that he'd have put diverse perspectives at the forefront. BUT I GET IT, this is his story. It could just be the first of many and he decided to start his authorial output with himself; which is a good place to start but, a man's story is never not heard; so, I mean. *shrug**
One of the crucial takeaways that I derived from this book is that it's important to tell the truth. I'm repeating myself a little but I think it's his strongest message. It's important to stand for something. More important than all of it - sometimes it's just important to put your money where your mouth is to sort of just be there. Just be present to document and transmit. We need everyone to see us, the US pushing forward for change. We need them to see that we ain't going anywhere. That we are here. Not a faceless mass, actual people in a fucking huge mass that grows exponentially by the day.
DeRay takes a lot of flack. ANYONE on twitter knows this. This book is really great in the sense that it shines a light into the man and his background that not a lot of people get to hear about. I would love to read a book by Johnetta Elzie and her thoughts and viewpoints on any variety of topics. I look forward to that.
An idea that he discusses is that sometimes, a lot of the time, people just need someone to point their "founder" label at to make sense of shit that happens in the world. They need to label someone "founder of a movement" to either point their hate at or point their love at and he's been, a lot of the time, the focal point of that sort of attention; whether or not he wanted it.
Then there's this kind of underlying conversation or inner-battle that comes through the text here where it seems like he's not intentionally trying to battle with if he deserves that label although he rejects it.. you get a sense sort of that he's vying for it, but not really. I don't know. It's an underlying tone that I as the reader felt when he described his involvement in the movement. He states that he didn't aim for the "founder of a movement" tag, nor did he want or accept it, that it just sort of manifested the way that it did. I thought that it was honest to see him draw attention to that point because it further highlights that realistically; community ownership and representation matters, even in a crisis, as it should. For people who live in Ferguson and have been organizing against the injustice from time, representation is important. It's important for DeRay to acknowledge that many people directly from that community that he leant his face to have been fighting for justice for ages.
I don't want to say that he admits he's a vulture; but I do want to say that he admits it's important to be there for others and create family and build community when you see something happening that's unjust. It's important to Colin Kapernick and stand for something.
WHICH IS WHY I ALSO only gave this book three stars. I'm tired of seeing faces telling their stories even though it's their book. I know that's a wild concept; but hear me out. I think it's important to continue with the legacy of what you're doing and what you've started to do in the public sphere. I want to see people with platforms amplify the voices that they are trying to amplify by busting open space. Critique and dissect the injustices yes! catalogue them and make them open for public view! You've done a lot for justice (for example he talks about working with academics to index police killings based on already-published news stories to get a clearer picture of the numbers of civilians killed by police), you're doing all this important work so why not fight forward still, sharing educational pieces that incorporate your story instead of your story that incorporates educational pieces deep-rooted in a "look what i did" sort of mentality. It's important to tell your story and yes, the book is good; but it brings about the taste of why people have issues in the first place with DeRay's approach to things. I think if you're really going to tell your story you have to deep dive into your story, that's what people really want to know. Like I feel like the chapter about his mom could have been a whole book. I feel like the chapter about black men, love and homosexuality from the lens of someone in the public eye in a freedom-fighter position is a HUGE story. Maybe he didn't want to jump all the way in, but doing a little touch of it just felt like you don't really want to tell your story, but you have to - for a purpose of.. what exactly? Creating some sort of narrative about your ... Exactly.
I completely understand what he's saying as well when he talks about the need to think of change and reform in multi-leveled ways. It's important to connect with people who don't share the same viewpoints as you (his attempt at connecting We the Protesters w/ Bernie Sanders and backing Hilary Clinton). It's important to trying to push the envelope by a method of engagement rather than separatism. I completely agree. I just wish that he'd have put diverse perspectives at the forefront. BUT I GET IT, this is his story. It could just be the first of many and he decided to start his authorial output with himself; which is a good place to start but, a man's story is never not heard; so, I mean. *shrug**
One of the crucial takeaways that I derived from this book is that it's important to tell the truth. I'm repeating myself a little but I think it's his strongest message. It's important to stand for something. More important than all of it - sometimes it's just important to put your money where your mouth is to sort of just be there. Just be present to document and transmit. We need everyone to see us, the US pushing forward for change. We need them to see that we ain't going anywhere. That we are here. Not a faceless mass, actual people in a fucking huge mass that grows exponentially by the day.
DeRay takes a lot of flack. ANYONE on twitter knows this. This book is really great in the sense that it shines a light into the man and his background that not a lot of people get to hear about. I would love to read a book by Johnetta Elzie and her thoughts and viewpoints on any variety of topics. I look forward to that.
December 20, 2018
Hope is the belief that our tomorrows can be better than our todays. Hope is not magic; hope is work. — DeRay Mckesson, On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope
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wow, deep, honest, intelligent, DeRay Mckesson’s “On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope” was an eye-opening, thought-provoking, and profound reading experience! It was much deeper than I had expected, it is beautifully, lyrically written; at times, courageous, intimidate, and inspirational. It reads like a coming-of-age story of a young, black man transition from schoolteacher to national political activist, in which he not only shares his experiences of activism, organizing, and social injustices, but also his personal stories of his family, growing up in Baltimore, and being a gay, black man in America.
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DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist, podcaster, and former school administrator. As one of the leading figures & voices of the millennial civil activists of our time, he’s a supporter of the Black Lives Movement, has been active in protests, uses his social platforms to raise awareness of social injustices & politics, and along with Johnetta Elzie, Brittany Packnett, and Samuel Sinyangwe, Mckesson launched Campaign Zero, a policy platform to end police violence.
.
It’s part memoir, part essay collection, and part community organizing manifesto. Each essays are thoughtfully written and goes deep inside of his mind. DeRay shares what he learned from protest, family upheaval, racial inequality, homophobia, community organizing, abuse, and love. I like how Deray articulates complex, difficult events & subjects with deep insights, and the way each essays are interwoven with his personal stories. He delves into history, oppression, activism, resistance, and justice, and offers framework on how to move forward. In this book, DeRay not only teaches you, he touches your heart. It’s inspiring to read his story and to understand why he does what does. It takes lot of sacrifice to lead a movement, let alone, to put yourself out there. Mckesson exhorts, “all Americans to work to dismantle the legacy of racism and to imagine the best of what is possible.” Full of wisdom, hope, and inspiration, highly recommend to gain a better understanding of our current state of affair, social injustice, policing, and leading a movement. 🤓✊📖
.
.
wow, deep, honest, intelligent, DeRay Mckesson’s “On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope” was an eye-opening, thought-provoking, and profound reading experience! It was much deeper than I had expected, it is beautifully, lyrically written; at times, courageous, intimidate, and inspirational. It reads like a coming-of-age story of a young, black man transition from schoolteacher to national political activist, in which he not only shares his experiences of activism, organizing, and social injustices, but also his personal stories of his family, growing up in Baltimore, and being a gay, black man in America.
.
DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist, podcaster, and former school administrator. As one of the leading figures & voices of the millennial civil activists of our time, he’s a supporter of the Black Lives Movement, has been active in protests, uses his social platforms to raise awareness of social injustices & politics, and along with Johnetta Elzie, Brittany Packnett, and Samuel Sinyangwe, Mckesson launched Campaign Zero, a policy platform to end police violence.
.
It’s part memoir, part essay collection, and part community organizing manifesto. Each essays are thoughtfully written and goes deep inside of his mind. DeRay shares what he learned from protest, family upheaval, racial inequality, homophobia, community organizing, abuse, and love. I like how Deray articulates complex, difficult events & subjects with deep insights, and the way each essays are interwoven with his personal stories. He delves into history, oppression, activism, resistance, and justice, and offers framework on how to move forward. In this book, DeRay not only teaches you, he touches your heart. It’s inspiring to read his story and to understand why he does what does. It takes lot of sacrifice to lead a movement, let alone, to put yourself out there. Mckesson exhorts, “all Americans to work to dismantle the legacy of racism and to imagine the best of what is possible.” Full of wisdom, hope, and inspiration, highly recommend to gain a better understanding of our current state of affair, social injustice, policing, and leading a movement. 🤓✊📖
July 22, 2018
How can you not know about Deray and his everpresent blue vest? This beautiful memoir has some lovely additional details about it, of course, but what is most resonant is additional information about his connection to his family, how he came to be engaged in Ferguson and the larger Movement for Black Lives and his uniquely graceful, eloquent description of moving from being quiet about his sexuality to speaking up, along with the heart-tugging beauty of his relationship with his birth mother and the others who have mothered him. Deray is a masterful storyteller, with a keen grasp of history. There is a curious gap in the timeline he gives for Black Lives Matter and obvious names missing (as though knowledgeable readers will be able to fill them in) even as he makes meaningful points about who gets to claim the founding or origins of a movement and who gets erased and who tells those stories (or who doesn’t). In this lovely and significant book this moment is not a reason to throw Deray away or disregard any of his truths. It’s merely notable and a moment that is in stark contrast to the transcendent beauty and clarity and call of specific moments and people by name that are so moving throughout most of its pages.
October 1, 2018
Once in awhile I want to give a book six stars, this is one of them. DeRay Mckesson writes beautifully and intelligently about his life, about St Louis, about the structure of America's police forces, and about politics. I am sad that this young man did not get elected mayor of our city! I remember reading or hearing somewhere in the run-up to the primary that he was the candidate with the most clearly articulated and thought out platform, and that was enough for me. I have already pulled my favorite quotes put on Facebook, so l will just say that his remarks on the American obsession with earning/deserving and on the disdain in some liberal quarters for 'reform' bear thinking about. More, please.
August 6, 2018
This book is part memoir and part discussion of racial issues that affect the US. DeRay McKesson relates life experiences while also making you think how society is set up. This book is a must read.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2018
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope is a meditation on resistance, justice, freedom, and a call to arms because standing idly by doesn’t cut it anymore. Making your voice heard among the voices that wish to silence you is as important as ever because everything that’s been fought for and won is now under attack. McKesson started a podcast awhile back with a monologue that resonated with me about protecting the win. It’s no longer not enough just to win. You have to then continue fighting for more while protecting what’s already been achieved. I think On the Other Side of Freedom is just that. Detailing the fight, what’s been achieved, and what still needs to be accomplished.
“What it’s taught me is that freedom is fragile, and that’s a lesson that I never want to forget.”
I decided to pick up On the Other Side of Freedom because I listen to Pod Save the People on a weekly basis. Though I’m not American, so a lot of the more specific issues do not necessarily apply, the larger scope of the pod does. It’s important to me to be informed, so that I can do all that I can to check my white privilege. Books like these are a constant reminder that the work is never done.
The only issue I had with On the Other Side of Freedom is that McKesson skims the surface of the topics covered in each part. There were so many times I wanted him to expand further and dig deeper on topics like technology, police brutality and inequality, his relationship with his mother, and his experience as a black gay man.
“We do not stand in the shadows of those who came before us, but in their glow. And the glow exists because they put forth a vision of the future and they fought for it. We did not invent resistance or discover injustice in August 2014. We exist in a legacy of struggle, a legacy rooted in hope.”
Overall, On the Other Side of Freedom is a great place to start if you’re looking for a deeper look into the social justice movement by someone who has been on the frontlines.
August 29, 2018
So much power in these pages, but can I also say that this is the single greatest opening line of an essay?: "It wasn't that I didn't believe in god, but that I believed in Storm from the X-Men more." <3!
November 20, 2018
Finally! A discussion on racial issues that is informative and insightful!
A lot of my issues with past memoirs/nonfiction that I read that focused heavily on race was that these books would read very "Racism 101" to me. I'm not saying that I am an expert on the subject matter, but what is discussed in a lot of books that is marketed towards the general public is very basic and little would resonate with me. I often wondered why that is... Were these authors afraid to dig deeper? Were they apprehensive to engage with non Black people because they felt as though no one else could understand? I'm not sure.
This book is the antithesis of that idea. McKesson gave new insights to social justice in many ways. He explores how movements are affected by social media, his experiences in Ferguson, and the different ways he tried to engage with people and create progress. I also loved that McKesson also made it a point to highlight (multiple times!) the [queer and Black] women who helped him during this time. He also highlighted multiple "forgotten stories" of heroes from the Civil Rights Movement that inspired him to continue to do this work.
McKesson's story about his family, identity, sexuality, and religious values were also a personal touch that resonated with me deeply (to a point where I might have gotten a little emotional), and I am sure will resonate with other readers as well.
His book ends with a letter to an activist, a perfect summary to all the points made, and a call to action for those who are willing and ready to stand up and fight for what they believe in, even if they were to stand alone.
Is McKesson the best writer? No. I found that he does write like how he speaks at most times, and while part of that is his voice coming through in his writing, in the beginning, it was a little distracting.
Despite that one criticism, I would recommend this to anyone. McKesson makes incredibly valid points that are easy to follow, and also challenges readers to think about their actions in relation to social justice, striving for personal justice, and encouraging people who are willing to learn that although it might be an uncomfortable conversation at first, it is necessary to begin engaging in action.
I remember so vividly the period of time during the Ferguson protests, the death of Mike Brown, and the birth of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I was a quiet college student at a Prominently White Institution (PWI) who rarely spoke up in class, or anywhere for that matter. It was during this period of time where things were so scary I had no choice BUT to speak up. My people (Black people) were dying, and I was afraid for my family back home. I was in a space where I felt so alone, I knew I had to find a way to participate in the fight for change. First, by speaking up in class, then engaging on social media, writing about my experiences and sharing them with others, and soon acting in the real world. This period of time was pivotal for me, personally. I remember saying in class that these protests in Ferguson are going to be written about in the history books. DeRay McKesson's account of these events are proof that these moments need to be talked about and never forgotten.
A lot of my issues with past memoirs/nonfiction that I read that focused heavily on race was that these books would read very "Racism 101" to me. I'm not saying that I am an expert on the subject matter, but what is discussed in a lot of books that is marketed towards the general public is very basic and little would resonate with me. I often wondered why that is... Were these authors afraid to dig deeper? Were they apprehensive to engage with non Black people because they felt as though no one else could understand? I'm not sure.
This book is the antithesis of that idea. McKesson gave new insights to social justice in many ways. He explores how movements are affected by social media, his experiences in Ferguson, and the different ways he tried to engage with people and create progress. I also loved that McKesson also made it a point to highlight (multiple times!) the [queer and Black] women who helped him during this time. He also highlighted multiple "forgotten stories" of heroes from the Civil Rights Movement that inspired him to continue to do this work.
McKesson's story about his family, identity, sexuality, and religious values were also a personal touch that resonated with me deeply (to a point where I might have gotten a little emotional), and I am sure will resonate with other readers as well.
His book ends with a letter to an activist, a perfect summary to all the points made, and a call to action for those who are willing and ready to stand up and fight for what they believe in, even if they were to stand alone.
Is McKesson the best writer? No. I found that he does write like how he speaks at most times, and while part of that is his voice coming through in his writing, in the beginning, it was a little distracting.
Despite that one criticism, I would recommend this to anyone. McKesson makes incredibly valid points that are easy to follow, and also challenges readers to think about their actions in relation to social justice, striving for personal justice, and encouraging people who are willing to learn that although it might be an uncomfortable conversation at first, it is necessary to begin engaging in action.
I remember so vividly the period of time during the Ferguson protests, the death of Mike Brown, and the birth of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I was a quiet college student at a Prominently White Institution (PWI) who rarely spoke up in class, or anywhere for that matter. It was during this period of time where things were so scary I had no choice BUT to speak up. My people (Black people) were dying, and I was afraid for my family back home. I was in a space where I felt so alone, I knew I had to find a way to participate in the fight for change. First, by speaking up in class, then engaging on social media, writing about my experiences and sharing them with others, and soon acting in the real world. This period of time was pivotal for me, personally. I remember saying in class that these protests in Ferguson are going to be written about in the history books. DeRay McKesson's account of these events are proof that these moments need to be talked about and never forgotten.
October 15, 2018
This is a really beautiful and personal book.
I especially appreciated the inclusion and naming of people who could easily be forgotten, generally for some reason that makes them easy to marginalize: gay, a woman, a pregnant teenager. Those constraints put on acceptance constrain the fight for freedom.
One of those was Marcus Anthony Hunter, who first used #blacklivesmatter in the context of "black migration and movement is the defining characteristic of growth in cities and always has been". The hash tag has been so strongly associated with death, and there are reasons for that, but it was an interesting perspective and it helps open the mind to new possibilities, which is truly important for freedom.
Mckesson does an eloquent job of finding his personal and using it to understand the political.
I especially appreciated the inclusion and naming of people who could easily be forgotten, generally for some reason that makes them easy to marginalize: gay, a woman, a pregnant teenager. Those constraints put on acceptance constrain the fight for freedom.
One of those was Marcus Anthony Hunter, who first used #blacklivesmatter in the context of "black migration and movement is the defining characteristic of growth in cities and always has been". The hash tag has been so strongly associated with death, and there are reasons for that, but it was an interesting perspective and it helps open the mind to new possibilities, which is truly important for freedom.
Mckesson does an eloquent job of finding his personal and using it to understand the political.
September 10, 2018
DeRay Mckesson is a powerful advocate who has become one of the most visible leaders of the #blacklivesmatter movement. This book is part essay collection and part memoir, and delves into his beginnings as a protester, experiences in activism, and advice for fighting against white supremacy and police violence. Mckesson does a great job of making the personal political and using his own memories as a mirror for society. I feel like it took a while for his unique voice and perspective to emerge from the text, but overall, it's a meaningful glimpse into an incredible movement.
December 4, 2018
I am a huge fan of POD SAVE THE PEOPLE, a podcast hosted by DeRay (who makes his listeners feel like we should use his first name) so I came to this with a positive spin ... and I was not at all disappointed.
This book is mostly about how he came to activism, as a result of Mike Brown's murder-by-police in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, contexted by many other things that are important in his life, which include his childhood, his homosexuality, his relationship with the mother who left when he was three, and his experience of being mentored by Storm from the X-Men.
As he is on the podcast, DeRay is clear, honest, opinionated, and willing to question his own ideas throughout. I found myself agreeing with him so many times, even though we come from such divergent backgrounds and experiences. I love the way he integrates the theoretical with the personal, the political with the everyday. I love his simultaneous commitment to gradual change and radical change.
On the Other Side of Freedom is short. It's a very quick read. I don't believe he actually wrote it as a collection of separate essays, so my only complaint about it is that it's somewhat choppy and the order in which he jumps from topic to topic doesn't always make sense to me. But the person behind the topics does make sense to me, and helps me see how the world can be changed.
This book is mostly about how he came to activism, as a result of Mike Brown's murder-by-police in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, contexted by many other things that are important in his life, which include his childhood, his homosexuality, his relationship with the mother who left when he was three, and his experience of being mentored by Storm from the X-Men.
As he is on the podcast, DeRay is clear, honest, opinionated, and willing to question his own ideas throughout. I found myself agreeing with him so many times, even though we come from such divergent backgrounds and experiences. I love the way he integrates the theoretical with the personal, the political with the everyday. I love his simultaneous commitment to gradual change and radical change.
On the Other Side of Freedom is short. It's a very quick read. I don't believe he actually wrote it as a collection of separate essays, so my only complaint about it is that it's somewhat choppy and the order in which he jumps from topic to topic doesn't always make sense to me. But the person behind the topics does make sense to me, and helps me see how the world can be changed.
December 14, 2018
I chose to read this to get a perspective of someone with very different experiences and probably fairly different views that my own. I felt that I did learn from his stories and how they shaped his perspective. I had some trouble understanding who the intended audience of the book was or its goal - sometimes he's just telling stories, other times he seems to be trying to persuade but he doesn't always provide much in the way of support for his arguments, and when he does, there aren't footnotes to be able to look into it in more depth. It seems to be mostly aimed at people who share his perspective, to encourage them to keep on trying, to have faith and hope. I would have liked something that did more to address people who don't share his perspective, and deal with specific issues and information to mark his arguments. For instance, he claims that, as a society, we could choose to end poverty and homelessness, guarantee that everyone has food and shelter and a living wage, but that we choose not to. But he mentions nothing about how it could be done or what the challenges are in tackling those issues.
October 10, 2018
Nothing bad here, but not a lot that stands out. Nothing quite like Ta nehisi Coates or Cornell West.
February 4, 2019
You never have to defend your rage. You have every right to be angry about the conditions that you were born into. You did not choose this fight; this fight chose you. That we ask for justice and not revenge is a testament to the souls of black folks--that we will not become the people we fight against. Do no let people demand your happiness either. All these things are yours--yours to decide how to put into the world on your own schedule.
It's common practice among some on the left, particularly a certain *cough* privileged subset of the left, the so-called allies, to scold others for being too forceful, too strident, too outspoken in their views. "I support minorities/women/gays/etc. but I think they should package their message more carefully."
The older I get, the less patience I have with these scolds. To my ears, their chiding sounds like, "I'm your ally only so long as you don't make me uncomfortable." There is always room for diplomacy, for careful crafting of a message, but nothing is more condescending than telling the oppressed that they are not entitled to their anger, that their passion is threatening.
Anyway...the book. In On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope DeRay Mckesson explores his relationship with front-line activism, particularly as a protestor at Ferguson, Missouri. His writing is part memoir and examination of the history of protest, the media's role in activism, and diversity's role within the social justice movement.
A highlight for me was the chapter where he breaks down--with statistics, not anecdotes--the data collected by his organization and others, regarding police brutality. Also of interest was the exploration of early members of the civil rights movement, people who never made the history books or who were excluded from the movement, because of gender or because of other optics.
For the most part, Mckensson is preaching to the choir. I agree with him and came to this book having already come to most of the same conclusions. Mckensson, however, articulates these opinions far better than I can, and reading this was a pleasant exercise in affirmation.
Hopeful, despite the subject matter and highly quotable.
(Library book)
February 18, 2019
A well written book that confronts many of the injustices faced by minority in this country, specifically African Americans. After reading several books of a similar subject matter, I assumed I was well versed with the material, but was reminded by DeRay that there is always another aspect. In On the Other Side of Freedom, the new material was the group of statistics from https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/ , whose scope I was unaware of. Other then this however, I found this book to primarily perpetuate an us vs them mentality, whether intentionally or otherwise, as DeRay seems to advocate conflict as the only legitimate means of resolution for restoration. The fact that this was fairly one sided cannot be helped, as it the voice of one man speaking for a community. Overall I found it to be a valuable voice and perspective in a time where clear voices can be few.
June 11, 2020
Few books have covered as much, as deeply, in so few pages. This is something I’ll be going back to again and again.
February 12, 2021
The false distance of history aims to deceive us into believing that the trauma of racism and injustice is in our past.
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope was a powerful essay collection that mixed persuasive essays with personal stories. I've been following DeRay Mckesson on Twitter since 2014 and really enjoyed getting to learn more about the roots of the Black Lives Matter movement and his growth as an activist. The persuasive essays, particularly the one on policing, were impactful and well-researched. My favorite essay of the collection was "Out of the Quiet" about Mckesson's journey to accepting his sexuality and how he made sense of sexual abuse that happened to him as a child. The way he talked about his perception of his sexuality in connection with the rest of his identity really resonated with me.
In many ways, the quiet is not living in an identity and disavowing it, but being alone in it, unsure of what to do there.
C/W:
April 2, 2021
I appreciated the author's revealing the inadequacy of police reporting in regards to violence and homicides involving police officers. Until recent years there actually was no requirement to report to any kind of nation wide databank so requirements varied by city. The author was part of an effort to remedy this inconsistent reporting and the more accurate data gives a much better picture of racial influence on police actions. I would have liked to hear the author's take on data showing black on black homicides in major cities is disproportionately high.
The book's title, "_ The Case for Hope" gave me expectations that were only partially fulfilled. The book still had the flavor of whites are to blame for the country's racial problems which comes across to white folks as "all" whites. This feeds the Us-vs-Them thinking and puts well meaning people on the defensive and does little to promote MLK's dream of community. Maybe just use "some" whites instead of whites. Same goes for some blacks instead of blacks.
Mckesson was the reader in the audio version and one could feel his passion. Here's hoping he will continue his quest and help bring oneness and mutual respect to our great and crazy country.
The book's title, "_ The Case for Hope" gave me expectations that were only partially fulfilled. The book still had the flavor of whites are to blame for the country's racial problems which comes across to white folks as "all" whites. This feeds the Us-vs-Them thinking and puts well meaning people on the defensive and does little to promote MLK's dream of community. Maybe just use "some" whites instead of whites. Same goes for some blacks instead of blacks.
Mckesson was the reader in the audio version and one could feel his passion. Here's hoping he will continue his quest and help bring oneness and mutual respect to our great and crazy country.
May 28, 2020
I saw/heard DeRay McKesson speak at the Library Technology Conference in 2019 and was so impressed with his knowledge of statistics about policing and race, and his perspective on that subject, that I bought his book there. Reading On the Other Side of Freedom is different from hearing him speak--it is much less about statistics and how to interpret them, and much more like a memoir, a letter to fellow activists, and a history of the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests in Ferguson, MO after the murder of Michael Brown. At times it is meditative, making distinctions between faith and hope and explaining the importance of each and how they relate to each other in resisting a racist society. At times it is analytic, explaining how the use of Twitter gave the Ferguson protests a power that other protests hadn't had before. At times it is a memoir of McKesson's childhood and teenage years and how experiences he had then inform his thoughts about activism today. And at times there are statistics, duly footnoted.
Although this book has a little bit of everything, it does not meander or trail off and lose its way. It has a definite shape and purpose, and a firm, clear voice. It's really a delight to read, especially if you have activist tendencies yourself.
Although this book has a little bit of everything, it does not meander or trail off and lose its way. It has a definite shape and purpose, and a firm, clear voice. It's really a delight to read, especially if you have activist tendencies yourself.
July 2, 2024
This book manages to cover so much history, present day oppression and activism, and hope for the future in barely 200 pages. Not idle hope-- the kind of hope that requires inward examination and a willingness to act. I feel like this will be a good one to reread every couple years.
March 6, 2019
This is an interesting book/audiobook. I listened to it while I was working and was able to listen to it within a few hours. This book is a good introduction into how to what it means to be an activist.
March 5, 2019
This book is excellent. DeRay mixes his story of protesting in Ferguson, what came after, his personal history, and thoughts on our criminal justice system. I read this one twice before I had to bring it back to the library.
December 7, 2018
"So much of what trauma does to us is trap us in the present; it traps us in its constraints. We often see the limitations all around us because we need to see them in order to survive. Not to see them would be deadly. We become gifted at knowing how far to push before the world pushes back on us. But Storm? Storm didn't live in a world with those constraints. And for thirty minutes each weekend, neither did I." pg. 107
"History is the accumulation of our stories. Stories help us make sense of the choices we've made, of the choices we're afraid to make, and of those choices made for us that define our lives. There is a reason we tell stories. The world we live in doesn't always make sense. Or it is so unpredictable that we need tools, devices, and images to help us process its pace and flow. We tell stories to remember, to pass on what we've learned, to nurture the thread of progress. Our stories give meaning to moments and birth new ones. They organize what is exceptional in ways that are understandable." pg. 154
"In some ways, [the media] are still complicit, even now, by pushing a soul-searching narrative for Democrats, suggesting that the party fundamentally misread the electorate while seeming to ignore the fact that Clinton won the popular vote by over 3 million votes, and that the margin of victory amounted to less than 100,000 votes spread out over a few key states."pg. 161
"Language is the first act. It distributes and redistributes power. It carries the kernel of the ideas that shape how we think about the world. The dominant culture--that is, white people--suppressed the notion of a white terrorist because it is impossible to conceive of whiteness as evil, a space decidedly reserved for black and brown people." pg. 164
"In fighting to help this country, this world, to be one that is worthy of the beauty of your life, you will undoubtedly experience pain--the normal pain of life and the pain of struggle. But pain is now who you are. You are, and have always been, more than your pain." pg. 208
"Be mindful not to internalize the ills of the world, but to be able to recognize them and then actively work to disrupt them and undo their damage." pg. 208
"History is the accumulation of our stories. Stories help us make sense of the choices we've made, of the choices we're afraid to make, and of those choices made for us that define our lives. There is a reason we tell stories. The world we live in doesn't always make sense. Or it is so unpredictable that we need tools, devices, and images to help us process its pace and flow. We tell stories to remember, to pass on what we've learned, to nurture the thread of progress. Our stories give meaning to moments and birth new ones. They organize what is exceptional in ways that are understandable." pg. 154
"In some ways, [the media] are still complicit, even now, by pushing a soul-searching narrative for Democrats, suggesting that the party fundamentally misread the electorate while seeming to ignore the fact that Clinton won the popular vote by over 3 million votes, and that the margin of victory amounted to less than 100,000 votes spread out over a few key states."pg. 161
"Language is the first act. It distributes and redistributes power. It carries the kernel of the ideas that shape how we think about the world. The dominant culture--that is, white people--suppressed the notion of a white terrorist because it is impossible to conceive of whiteness as evil, a space decidedly reserved for black and brown people." pg. 164
"In fighting to help this country, this world, to be one that is worthy of the beauty of your life, you will undoubtedly experience pain--the normal pain of life and the pain of struggle. But pain is now who you are. You are, and have always been, more than your pain." pg. 208
"Be mindful not to internalize the ills of the world, but to be able to recognize them and then actively work to disrupt them and undo their damage." pg. 208
February 1, 2019
This made me so sad and so angry but so hopeful.
December 3, 2018
I was fortunate enough last spring to see DeRay Mckesson and Brene Brown have a long discussion about how to have the difficult conversations, and so much of what they discussed stuck with me and has informed my activism afterward. My favorite take-away from the whole thing was something that DeRay said to the effect of "allies are good to have, but accomplices are better." It's nice to know that someone has your back, but it is essential to have someone who is willing to stand beside you and face the same consequences.
This book, along with its memoir of his entrance into activism through the protests at Ferguson, to his multiple meetings with President Obama, to his efforts to train police and demand police accountability for use of force. It is full of statistical facts, as well as personal stories, and I think it should be read by everyone, especially those resistant to the notion that black lives matter.
This book, along with its memoir of his entrance into activism through the protests at Ferguson, to his multiple meetings with President Obama, to his efforts to train police and demand police accountability for use of force. It is full of statistical facts, as well as personal stories, and I think it should be read by everyone, especially those resistant to the notion that black lives matter.
October 30, 2018
A memoir and call for action, in On the Other Side of Freedom Mckesson tells his story of the Ferguson protests, his research into police brutality, his life as a gay black man, and his decision to join politics. I love the content of this book. I would think it would be hard for anyone to refute his evidence about the need for new police guidelines and a rethinking of how we handle crime and deviance in the US, but what I've learned about most of the people who disagree with me on this issue is is that they rarely care about research.
He also discusses the philosophy of hope vs. faith, and the stories that get told and the ones that are hidden.
At times the switches between past and present, research and the personal, was jarring for me.
This is a must-read for 2018, and very short. The audiobook was under 5 hours. The author reads it himself, and it's a good listen.
He also discusses the philosophy of hope vs. faith, and the stories that get told and the ones that are hidden.
At times the switches between past and present, research and the personal, was jarring for me.
This is a must-read for 2018, and very short. The audiobook was under 5 hours. The author reads it himself, and it's a good listen.
November 27, 2018
This book makes you think and also introduced me to some new concepts and thoughts. It's an important book that focuses on an important issue and makes you think about how steps could be made towards change. However, I am giving it a lower rating because I wasn't a fan of the writing style. I felt confused at what it was aiming for - a biography or a university-type text with data, facts, footnotes, etc.? At some points the author writes as if it's a research paper and then at other times we get tidbits of information about his life/childhood/family. I actually had been looking more forward to a biography told in a linear fashion, and then he could also have facts and dates thrown in and speak about the work he's doing now. Instead, the biography felt kind of disjointed and scattered around the rest of the text.
March 8, 2019
DeRay's Pod Save the People is appointment-listening for me. I always always get amazing information and news and inspiration from the news team on this weekly podcast. This book really is a longer version of the inspiration pieces that DeRay always starts the pod with. This is in no way a history of the Black Lives Matter movement or even the Ferguson protests. It begins there, but does not dwell on the specific events. Instead, it's more a rumination on the power and purpose of protests and how to create communities of power and justice and equality. It's a solid collection of essays, with some really thought-provoking bits that I'll copy down and keep thinking about for years to come.
August 31, 2018
A breathtaking book. DeRay is able to "zoom in" to stories from his own life and masterfully "zoom out" to present compelling data regarding mass incarceration, gun violence, racial inequality, and more.
The last chapter (Letter to an Activist) is worth the price of admission alone. He stresses the importance of African Americans needing to insist that others be able to hold their anger and not expect them to "perform" as if they are happy. He also gives each of us plenty of reasons for hope.
The last chapter (Letter to an Activist) is worth the price of admission alone. He stresses the importance of African Americans needing to insist that others be able to hold their anger and not expect them to "perform" as if they are happy. He also gives each of us plenty of reasons for hope.
November 29, 2018
I picked this for a book club because I saw him speak as a guest on the Daily show with Trevor Noah and I thought he was so well-spoken that I knew I wanted to hear more about his thoughts. I’m so glad I listened to this on audio because he narrates it and I prefer listening to a memoir by the author as they knew what they want to emphasize and emote. And the book is as well done as his interview. I found it engaging, enlightening, and moving.
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