On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope was published on September 4th, 2018 by Viking. The book was written by Deray Mckesson. The book explains how an African American man tries to reveal how to create a world where everyone is taking accountability for believing and creating the world we want to live in through justice, freedom, and mindset[1].
Plot
DeRay Mckesson, a 29-year-old African American activist, collaborates with thousands of people in protesting the police for the accountability and justice for the Black people in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014. The protest creates the Black Lives Matter movement which spread massively through the internet. Throughout history, it has shown that the government is unable or not willing to handle racism. Mckesson explains how the oppression remains to endure up to this era and how complex the racial system exists. He believes that we should be taking action to stop the prejudice that becomes more obvious these days. With the development of technology, hope even lights brighter so we can dismantle racism and create a better world for our children with equal justice and freedom[3].
Black Empowerment
The book invites people to take action in stopping racism. Mckesson writes about his experience in joining thousands of people who protest asking the accountability and justice to police in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. As Mckesson writes "Protest is, in its own way, a storytelling,”. The protest becomes the first demonstration of the Black Lives Matter movement and an illustration for many demonstrations in other cities. With the development of technology especially Twitter, the protest and campaign could be seen in real-time. This has prevented the authorities in Ferguson and Missouri to create a misinterpretation or fake news. With the platform that has been established, he believes that the civil rights movement can be rallied massively across the world[4]. As the government was unable or unwilling to stop racism, he writes that we had to do the work. He encourages people that hope remains to exist, and faith should be pushed forward to reclaim the assurance. As he writes in the book"We can win. And if we do, it will be because more of us understood that this is a system of choices, and we have learned how to build power to make new choices. When they say that power concedes nothing without a demand, they are reminding us that the demand has to create something new-a new power dynamic, a new reality. And hope is the fuel of this demand. Hope is not magic. Hope is work. Let's get to the work."[5].
Controversy
Mckesson explains how the protests of the civil rights movement are like especially for the Black Americans. He describes that the protest is seen as a matter of life and death since they are being sprayed by pepper, smoke bombed, and shot at with rubber bullets despite the peaceful protest Mckesson and others brought[6]. He states "There’s a double standard to protest in America. Something is different for black people who should dare to ask questions, and further, for those who protest in blackness. Protest in and by black bodies is never deemed legitimate, never deemed worthy of engagement. It seems that we have simply have not earned our grievance, our grievance is illegitimate – we do not deserve sympathy or, ultimately, justice"[7].
References
- ↑ On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope. Goodreads. Retrieved January 24 2021
- ↑ On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope Book Cover. Goodreads. Retrieved January 24 2021
- ↑ On the Other Side of Freedom Penguin Random House. Retrieved January 24 2021
- ↑ Otis R. Taylor Jr. ‘On the Other Side of Freedom,’ by DeRay Mckesson Datebook. Retrieved January 24 2021
- ↑ Excerpt: On The Other Side Of Freedom NPR. Retrieved January 24 2021
- ↑ ON THE OTHER SIDE OF FREEDOM Kirkus Media LLC. Retrieved January 24 2021
- ↑ On the Other Side of Freedom Quotes Goodreads. Retrieved February 03 2021