‘The purpose of power: how to build movements for the 21st century’ by Alicia Garza, an American civil rights activist and writer known for co-founding the international Black Lives Matter movement. ‘The purpose of power’ was published by Penguin Random House in 2020.
Black Lives Matter began as a hashtag when Alicia Garza wrote what she calls “a love letter to Black people’ on Facebook. But hashtags don't build movements, she tells us. People do.
Interwoven with Garza's experience of life as a Black woman, ‘The Purpose of Power’ is the story of how she responded to the persistent message that Black lives are of less value than white lives by galvanizing people to create change.
“Organising is connecting with a purpose. When we connect to others, we learn about them and about ourselves. And that understanding is the beginning of real political change.” (Alicia Garza, chapter 3: First Lessons)
“For some activists and organisers, that connection is found in a shared concern or problem. For others it is found in a shared vision for what is possible.” (Alicia Garza, chapter 3: First Lessons)
“For me it’s a little bit of both: the process of getting from a connection found in a shared problem or concern to a connection about a shared vision for what is possible – from a shared problem to a shared future” (Alicia Garza, chapter 3: First Lessons)