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Driven by the Movement: Reports from the Black Power Era
A collective portrait of the Black Power movement by radical journalist and former Black Panther JoNina Abron-Ervin
Driven by the Movement collects the stories of twenty ordinary people who did extraordinary things for the Black liberation struggle during the pivotal decade of 1965–1975. These activists came from across the US and all walks of life—single working mothers, clergy, students, teachers, military veterans—to organize against police brutality, poverty, hunger, substandard schools, and colonialism in Africa.
Drawing from her own experience at the heart of the movement, JoNina Abron-Ervin’s on-the-ground reporting offers a rare look into the pragmatism, optimism, compromise, and contradiction and the everyday acts of dedication that animated the Black Power era.
This new edition includes expanded material on the history of the Black Panther newspaper as a source of mass political education and on the Black Panther Party’s legendary survival programs, such as its Free Breakfast for Children and healthcare programs.
A foreword by writer and organizer William C. Anderson connects two torchbearers of the Black radical tradition across generations.
Driven by the Movement collects the stories of twenty ordinary people who did extraordinary things for the Black liberation struggle during the pivotal decade of 1965–1975. These activists came from across the US and all walks of life—single working mothers, clergy, students, teachers, military veterans—to organize against police brutality, poverty, hunger, substandard schools, and colonialism in Africa.
Drawing from her own experience at the heart of the movement, JoNina Abron-Ervin’s on-the-ground reporting offers a rare look into the pragmatism, optimism, compromise, and contradiction and the everyday acts of dedication that animated the Black Power era.
This new edition includes expanded material on the history of the Black Panther newspaper as a source of mass political education and on the Black Panther Party’s legendary survival programs, such as its Free Breakfast for Children and healthcare programs.
A foreword by writer and organizer William C. Anderson connects two torchbearers of the Black radical tradition across generations.
224 pages, Paperback
Published August 5, 2025
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August 30, 2025
Driven By the Movement by JoNina Abron-Ervin is a look at the everyday people who worked largely behind the scenes of the Black Power Era's organizations. There are a lot of takeaways from this wonderful book.
Abron-Ervin was herself an "everyday person" in the Black Panther Party and eventually became the last editor of their newspaper. Each person's story(s) of the time are fascinating but what really hits the reader is just how similar these people were to many of us, except they decided to make time to work toward a better world, in spite of the difficulties they faced in their personal lives by doing so. Every one of them serve as an example of what a concerned citizen can do.
Giving credit and appreciation to these unsung members doesn't detract from what the more well-known names did, but it does put into perspective the weakness and incompleteness of the "great man" theory of writing and understanding history. More of us need to step up for the things we believe in and do whatever is necessary without concern for whether we will become famous. We will, as I've learned from my own experiences, gain the respect of those we're working with at the same time we gain more respect for them. And strong organizations/movements need this kind of foundation.
This is certainly of interest to those interested in the history of the period, but I think the ideal readership consists of people wondering how they can make change in the world. It is a call for activists today to be willing to do the work, the mundane or repetitive work, that can help form a base for the big moments to come. It also is a warning to take time for yourself.
I think an important lesson for today's activists has to do with the value of the movement in relation to the value of each individual in the movement. Yes, the work and need of the movement is a 24/7 need. But with enough people doing the work necessary that doesn't mean it has to be a 24/7 job for each activist. Take time to recharge, to simply relax, to be with family and friends for leisure. Your fellow activists will keep the movement going while you're gone, as you'll do when they take time for themselves. Yes, you will be concerned about your cause 24/7 but that doesn't mean you have to be on the job all that time, you'll burn out.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.
Abron-Ervin was herself an "everyday person" in the Black Panther Party and eventually became the last editor of their newspaper. Each person's story(s) of the time are fascinating but what really hits the reader is just how similar these people were to many of us, except they decided to make time to work toward a better world, in spite of the difficulties they faced in their personal lives by doing so. Every one of them serve as an example of what a concerned citizen can do.
Giving credit and appreciation to these unsung members doesn't detract from what the more well-known names did, but it does put into perspective the weakness and incompleteness of the "great man" theory of writing and understanding history. More of us need to step up for the things we believe in and do whatever is necessary without concern for whether we will become famous. We will, as I've learned from my own experiences, gain the respect of those we're working with at the same time we gain more respect for them. And strong organizations/movements need this kind of foundation.
This is certainly of interest to those interested in the history of the period, but I think the ideal readership consists of people wondering how they can make change in the world. It is a call for activists today to be willing to do the work, the mundane or repetitive work, that can help form a base for the big moments to come. It also is a warning to take time for yourself.
I think an important lesson for today's activists has to do with the value of the movement in relation to the value of each individual in the movement. Yes, the work and need of the movement is a 24/7 need. But with enough people doing the work necessary that doesn't mean it has to be a 24/7 job for each activist. Take time to recharge, to simply relax, to be with family and friends for leisure. Your fellow activists will keep the movement going while you're gone, as you'll do when they take time for themselves. Yes, you will be concerned about your cause 24/7 but that doesn't mean you have to be on the job all that time, you'll burn out.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.
Displaying 1 of 1 review