If We Don’t Get It: A People’s History of Ferguson

by Stefan M. Bradley

At a time of renewed activism, the story of the young people who bravely turned a local issue into a national movement for justice, from a professor of Black studies at Amherst who participated in the Ferguson uprising



Stefan Bradley was a young professor in Saint Louis when Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, by a local police officer. Bradley quickly became a key media activist during the protests that ensued, giving on-the-ground interviews to Chris Hayes, CNN, Al-Jazeera, the BBC, and others. And he conducted over two dozen oral history interviews with young African American protestors.


In If We Don’t Get It, Bradley, now a named-chair professor of Black studies at Amherst, shows how Brown’s murder sparked a grassroots movement for democracy, led by young people of color, which transformed the way we talk about race, justice, and policing in the United States.


Through the authentic voices of the movement’s participants, Bradley describes the motivation and tensions coursing through the uprising’s early days and weeks, the problems of media representation (and misrepresentation), intergenerational conflict over protest tactics, clashes with the police and politicians, and much more. If We Don’t Get It also explores the new generation of elected officials, including Congresswoman Cori Bush, who emerged from the local movement’s ranks.


A story with deep relevance for the protests of our own time, If We Don’t Get It offers a gripping account of how young activists, without previous political experience, succeeded in changing our national political narrative.

Genres: History

320 pages, Hardcover

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[Sarah Cavar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smart, lucid account of Bradley's experiences and the broader historical and cultural context of Ferguson; I learned a lot. That said, I think this book could be better described as "Bradley's History" rather than "A People's History" –– it contains strong strains of memoir and personal reflection that are valuable, but inevitably fall short of describing the entirety of a dispersed, national movement.

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Ferguson protests after the police murder of Michael Brown from the individuals and groups that were there on the ground seeking justice in the aftermath. I enjoyed learning more about the names and faces of those who were involved over the year-long uprising. I would say, however, that this book offers more of an overview and feels like more of a series of essays than a cohesive timeline narrative of the protests. The author dedicates his focus on naming so many of the people and groups involved and their ongoing struggles with leadership, the infighting that took place, and the sacrifice means that this book never comes together to present a detailed timeline of the protests, the clashes with the police, the day-to-day details like dates, times, and places.

Netgalley and The New Press provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is going to be great for the historical record about who was involved in the protests and movement after Ferguson, but if you, like me, had little background knowledge about what exactly happened in Ferguson, you will be lost. This is more of a supplement to other materials to ensure that the young activists involved are remembered for their work, which is a worthy cause, but does not make it a solid stand-alone read on the events that happened.

Thank you to The New Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.