The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart

by Alicia Garza

An essential guide to building transformative movements to address the challenges of our time, from one of the country’s leading organizers and a co-creator of Black Lives Matter

In 2013, Alicia Garza wrote what she called “a love letter to Black people” on Facebook, in the aftermath of the acquittal of the man who murdered seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin. Garza wrote:

Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.

With the speed and networking capacities of social media, #BlackLivesMatter became the hashtag heard ’round the world. But Garza knew even then that hashtags don’t start movements—people do.

Long before #BlackLivesMatter became a rallying cry for this generation, Garza had spent the better part of two decades learning and unlearning some hard lessons about organizing. The lessons she offers are different from the “rules for radicals” that animated earlier generations of activists, and diverge from the charismatic, patriarchal model of the American civil rights movement. She reflects instead on how making room amongst the woke for those who are still awakening can inspire and activate more people to fight for the world we all deserve.

This is the story of one woman’s lessons through years of bringing people together to create change. Most of all, it is a new paradigm for change for a new generation of changemakers, from the mind and heart behind one of the most important movements of our time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Social Justice, Race, Memoir, Activism, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published October 20, 2020

Reviews

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought The Purpose of Power was an amazing and eye-opening read. I was drawn to this book because for some time, I've been trying to educate myself on social movements, as well as learn more about institutional and systemic barriers in the US. The Purpose of Power not only explains the above, but also adds thoughts on creating movements in shifting times.

The book is split into three parts, with the first part a primer on how the US has become so divided. Alicia Garza expertly wove in her own story growing up, and reflected on the history of what Black culture had come to mean. She described various events between the 1970s and 80s, a lot of which had been surprising and horrifying to read. There's a lot that American history glosses over, and describing Reagan's racist policies as well as the rise of conservatism was no exception. This first part was essential in setting up the rest of the book — it would have been one thing for me to read about the Black Lives Matter movement and Garza's role in it, but adding this primer helped contextualize how the US's current political climate came to be.

The second part of the book was specific to Garza's experience in learning how to organize and create movements. It begins with the story of Bayview Hunters Point, the community that she's learned the most from and has also had her heart broken the most by. It was then followed by the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of Trayvon Martin, and how it became especially prominent after the death of Michael Brown. There was a lot I didn't realize happened behind the scenes for the movement, and so reading of Garza's position was important to understand the beginnings of this movement. Something frequently emphasized throughout the book, and this section, is how it seems like movements come out of nowhere, but they are born of interacting with marginalized members in the community and slowing moving to create change.

The last part of the book was well executed — Garza gives her thoughts on how to structure future movements, and does so by focusing on a critical component with her experiences and related research. For example, she talks of intersectionality and references Dr. Crenshaw's definition of it. Garza adds her own understanding of the topic — intersectionality is not about invalidating experiences, but is about asking us to critically ask why, when encountered with social issues, do we default to a certain point of view. Garza also talks of leadership, identity politics, impostor syndrome, and creating influence on digital platforms. She ends the book on a hopeful note — the work ahead will be slow and hard, and there will definitely be setbacks. I'm reminded of a quote in chapter four — our movements must reflect the best of who we are and who we can be. Garza has hope that with the future, we can look into our differences, learn about one another, and create meaningful change.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Kab · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Building on decades of behind the scenes work in Black-led organisations for social justice, Garza outlines the mission of identifying common goals to forge enduring and broadened relationships, and organising strategically to transform the dynamics of power—with a vision to secure the ability to shape every policy decision that impacts our lives.

I was most excited about chapter 15, 'Political Education and Common Sense,' on cultural hegemony and storytelling.

[Sara Broad · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Purpose of Power" by Alicia Garza is a nonfiction work about how she ultimately came to co-found the Black Lives Matter movement and the overall power of organizing. She also provides context on how our country's history of concentrating power in the hands of white, cis-male, heterosexual, and Christian capitalists has purposefully left many people powerless. Garza's successful role in organizing people and the constant crush of white supremacy and police violence led her to co-establish Black Lives Matter. This book highlight Garza's strength as an organizer and a leader, it makes me hopeful that she will inspire many people to follow in her footsteps. This an excellent read!

[Tomes And Textiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review now up on TOMES AND TEXTILES.

“I am not, and we are not, defined by what we lack. We are defined by how we come together when we fall apart.” —Alicia Garza, The Purpose Of Power
🖤
The Purpose of Power by Alicia Garza, co-creator of Black Lives Matter and community activist is, first and foremost, a memoir. It’s a recollection of her life of community activism. It defines what movements are. It reclaims BLM from those who co-opt it, like DeRay McKesson. While this book isn’t a how-to guide to claim power, the words inside motivate and empower the reader to sustain activism. If you are involved in community organizing or a leader in your community, this is a book you keep at your bedside and refer to over and over again. My words are really quite irrelevant in relation to Garza’s powerful prose, so I’ll let some of my favorite quotes from the book speak for themselves.
🖤
“If we perpetuate the same dynamics that we aim to disrupt in our movements for change, we are not interrupting power and we are not creating change-we are merely rebranding the same set of practices and the same dysfunctions.”
🖤
“We are fighting for a different world, and we are building new muscles to do so.”
🖤
"A just reckoning isn't a simple shift in who gets to oppress whom -- it will come when those who have been used to unparalleled power must reckon with what it means to distribute power more equally."
🖤
“Hashtags do not start movements—people do. Movements do not have official moments when they start and end, and there is never just one person who initiates them. Movements are much more like waves than they are like light switches. Waves ebb and flow, but they are perpetual, their starting point unknown, their ending point undetermined, their direction dependent upon the conditions that surround them and the barriers that obstruct them. We inherit movements. We recommit to them over and over again even when they break our hearts, because they are essential to our survival.”

Buy me a k0-fi!

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garza's book may help sustain the activism catalyzed by the 2016 election. She defines power as the “ability to impact and affect the conditions of your own life and the lives of others”, while movements are comprised of “people who are dedicated to achieving some kind of change.” Building movements is hard because it involves building alliances: “[it] isn't about finding your tribe - it's about growing your tribe across difference to focus on a common set of goals. It's about being able to solve real problems in people's lives, and it's about changing how we think about and express who we are together.” Sustaining movements requires the following: (1) ongoing levels of engagement that “continually shift and increase - from just showing up to signing a petition to getting nine friends involved to helping design strategy to pressuring a legislator to leading a group, and so on”; and (2) a base, or “people who keep the movements anchored in the needs, dreams, and lived experiences of those who are directly impacted by the problem at hand.” I like her elaboration of a base:

How do we know when people are organized into a base? When there is intentional educational work being done to understand the problem and who is at fault. When they take action to bring more people into the fight. When they come together regularly to develop solutions and advocate for those solutions in homes, in workplaces, in places of worship, in schools, and to our government.

I also appreciate her call for political engagement: “[politics is] a place where power operates, which means it's a place where there are opportunities to move our agenda...The world that we imagine will not come into existence if we are not courageous enough to challenge power where it operates at the largest scale, impacting the lives of millions, even billions of people.”

I wish that Garza talked a little more about the types of "new" leaderships that would help groups accomplish their objectives. I will definitely take a closer look at the Black Census Project, which focuses on the lives of Black people.

Other definitions/advice I found useful:

[I]dentity politics is the radical notion that your worldview is shaped by your experience and history and that those experiences will vary in relationship to the power a group or an individual has in the economy, society, or democracy...The obscuring of identity politics when we map power deters us from changing how power operates in the first place.

Intersectionality says two things: First, by looking at the world through a lens that is different from that of just white people, we can see how power is distributed unevenly and on what basis, and second, we need to ensure that the world that we fight for, the claim we lay to the future, is one that meets the needs of all those who have been marginalized.

[R]eal unity cannot happen if we avoid addressing difficult contradictions, such as anti-Black sentiment and practice in Latino communities. Our alliances are often not rigorous enough in their attempt to define the basis upon which we come together - and what we need to learn and unlearn about one another in order for that unity to have depth and staying power.

Solidarity can never be expressed by hearing someone's pain and then turning the conversation back to yourself. Solidarity means trying to understand the ways our communities experience unique forms of oppression and marginalization...If my best friend tells me that she and her current partner are breaking up, solidarity is not interrupting her tearful testimony to say, "I too have had breakups! Let me tell you about my breakup!" Solidarity is listening, asking questions, and being there for her - for venting sessions, to help her figure out how to rebuild her life, and to offer support.

[Sisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. As someone who finds herself doing social organizing, I’ve been searching for a DIY self education so that I can learn from those who have come before me and who are doing this work now. But this book gave me more than a foundation in movement building. It helped me put words to things I hadn’t been able to articulate before, such as how to balance the tension between giving voice to others and feeling erased myself, or the way that solidarity can be wielded as a weapon when framed the wrong way. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Jacob Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few passages from The Purpose of Power:


*


Movements do not have official moments when they start and end, and there is never just one person who initiates them. Movements are much more like waves then they are like light switches. Waves ebb and flow, but they are perpetual, their starting point unknown, their ending point undetermined, their direction dependent upon the conditions that surround them and the barriers that obstruct them. We inherit movements. We recommit to them over and over again even when they break our hearts, because they are essential to our survival.


*


Recently I was in a staff retreat with my team at the Black Futures lab, an organization I started in 2018 to make Black communities powerful in politics. We were discussing a breakdown in communication, trying to get to the root of how it happened, ostensibly so we could avoid it happening again. At a certain point in the conversation, the facilitator interrupted and said, “When I was growing up and I would get into an argument with my mother, she would say to me, ‘What happens between us is half yours and half mine.’ I want to encourage you all to take that approach here – how would the story of what happened change if you all acknowledged that what happened between you is half yours and half theirs?” I found that to be a helpful intervention…


*


How do we make new mistakes and learn new lessons rather than continue to repeat the same mistakes and be disillusioned to learn that they merely reproduce the same results?


*


Many of my teachers, trainers, and mentors have fallen into a pattern of making their political circles smaller and smaller rather than bigger and wider – whether that be in formal organizations or efforts that are organized but not housed in organizations. They look for people who think like them – who experience the same anxiety about having to engage in a world where not everyone thinks like you – and have adopted the idea that finding a group of people who think like you and being loud about your ideas is somehow building power. To be fair, we all to an extent look for our tribes, look for the places where we belong and where we can just be ourselves. But when it comes to politics, when it comes to governing, when it comes to building power, being small is something we cannot afford. And while I feel most comfortable around people who think like me and share my experiences, the longer I’m in the practice of building a movement, the more I realize that movement building isn’t about finding your tribe – it’s about growing your tribe across difference to focus on a common set of goals. It’s about being able to solve real problems in people’s lives, and it’s about changing how we think about and express who we are together.


*


Some are surprised to learn that movements for justice can be guilty of the same dynamics they seek to challenge. I have been to thousands of meetings, conferences, convenings, gatherings, and campaigns that failed to live, in practice, the world they claimed to want to bring into existence. Even the most radical organizations often fall short of their stated ideals. I’ve lost count of how many times organizations would state a value like “sisters at the center” and then pretend not to notice that women did the bulk of the emotional and administrative work while men did the bulk of the intellectual work. More than that, I spent ten years of my life in an organization comprising a majority of women of color, from the membership to the staff, and yet the few men in the organization watched those women do the bulk of the work of building with members, recruiting new members, organizing community meetings, setting up for and cleaning up after those meetings, navigating the difficult dynamics of coalitions and alliances, raising money for the organization, and responding to crises in the membership, while they waxed poetic with other men about what the movement needed to be doing and where it needed to go.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been referred to as sister, queen, and the like by my peers in movements and yet been offered no vision in those organizations for how the work we did would affect my quality of life. It seemed as though I was there not as a strategist, not as a tactician, not as a group builder but instead as a means to someone else’s – usually a heterosexual man’s – improved quality of life.


*


Decentralizing leadership, however, is not synonymous with having “no leaders.” Decentralization means distributing leadership throughout the organization rather than concentrating it in one place or in one person or even a few people.

Occupy Wall Street designated itself as “leaderless.” Everyone was a leader and no one was a leader. All that was required was that you show up.

The problem, however, was that simply declaring that there were no leaders didn’t mean there weren’t any. And declaring that there were no leaders didn’t address the fact that not only were there leaders but those leaders struggled to not replicate the leadership they were fighting against. Leadership was largely male, largely heterosexual, largely white, and largely educated at elite universities. If we perpetuate the same dynamics that we aim to disrupt in our movements for change, we are not interrupting power and we are not creating change – we are merely rebranding the same set of practices and the same dysfunctions.


*

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am not, and we are not, defined by what we lack. We are defined by how we come together when we fall apart.”

“Making America great is forcing America to live up to its promise for the first time.”

The Black Lives Matter movement is one of the most visible social and racial justice movements in the world. And yet, I imagine many people would struggle with successfully naming one of the founders of the movement, let alone all three. This is an issue that undergirds Garza’s narrative and arguments in The Purpose of Power: the profound emotional and intellectual labor performed by Black women, especially queer and/or trans Black women, is often overlooked, ignored, co-opted, or misattributed to a man. I felt indignant reading about her own experiences with patriarchy, specifically racialized patriarchy, during her time as an activist and organizer. I appreciated her candor about the ways DeRay Mckesson has appropriated the BLM movement to suit his needs and how he has benefitted from and is often credited for work he had no part in creating. Garza makes it clear that it’s imperative we divest from systems and frameworks that facilitate Black women’s erasure and to hold those accountable who reinforce those systems. Overall, I enjoyed this book’s blend of memoir and toolkit for organizing. The portions that covered her mom’s influence in her life and activism were especially moving. I admire her approach to leadership and organizing, and it’s no wonder how she’s been able to develop and build such sustainable and impactful organizations and movements. She stresses the importance of looking inward at our differences rather than looking past them, and argues, “Building a movement is about growing your tribe across difference to focus on a common set of goals.”

One last note: If you enjoy this book, I would also recommend When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir and We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Purpose of Power is not your typical memoir. Yes, Alicia Garza pours her personal experience into these pages but her focus is on building community.

She talks about the definition of empowerment and explains how it is different from power
She walks us through the historical aspects of movements including the civil rights movement
We learn the difference between having a following and a having a base and what it takes to mobilize that base during a movement.

While Garza dispels the idea that black lives matter is a hashtag, she also criticizes those who have co-opted the movement for their own personal and political gain. These individuals were never part of BLM nor were involved in its founding. One case in point is the lawsuit brought about by a Baton Rouge police officer. During the 2016 protest against police brutality the officer was struck upon the head and suffered brain injuries. He sued the three founders of Black Lives Matter. The judge ruled against him citing that you cannot sue a social movement. Furthermore, the protest was not organized or promoted BLM. DeRay McKesson was the organizer of that event. He is a community activist but is not, nor has he ever been, a member of Black Lives Matter.

There have been several instances where the media has credited him and other men as having leading roles in the organization. Oftentimes, these men fail to correct them. In McKesson's case he has met with politicians and dignitaries on behalf of Black Lives Matter. Hillary Clinton even sat down to meet with him during her presidential bid after Garza, Cullors and Tometi declined to align themselves with either campaign.



Garza stresses that the vision for the Black Lives Matter movement came to fruition through the hard work and dedication of three black and queer women. So why don’t we hear more of them? Simple, she says women are invisible in this society especially those that are marginalized.

Despite recognizing the importance of this intersectionality, she stresses that we must find common ground. What is the one purpose that you all have? Work towards that aim. Garza admits that there will always be things that people disagree about and that not everyone is going to value the same things. But if you stay focused on that one thing that ties you all together you can see measured success.

[Karen Ashmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book. Garza brilliantly explains the differences between movements and alliances, as well as United fronts and popular fronts, using examples of her lived experience as a Black lesbian organizing communities for transformational change.

She also explains how important transparency is and how movements for justice can be guilty of the same dynamics they seek to challenge. Sadly, she and the other two BLM co-founders have been recently accused of that very same thing by BLM chapters across the country.

It is a real issue that must be addressed.

Overall, I liked this book and learned a lot. It is an important addition to an activist’s library.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice book by a senior Black Lives Matter organizer, interested in developing a better political landscape for civil rights. It’s balanced and thoughtful and she is clear on challenges African Americans face in the United States. Recommended

[Linda Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent backgrounder on Alicia Garza's early days as a community organizer. For those excited about getting started at home plate, she shares pitfalls to avoid, approaches to make, other groups to engage. As The Music Man insists, you gotta know the territory! A superb read.

[Jayne Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This book challenged me in many ways, which I always welcome. I need to think about things from the perspective of a person in a lane that I don't - and can't - occupy. It was inspiring and galvanizing, for sure. The only thing that I would have liked more of, which would have pushed it to a 5 star, was some practical guidance about how people can get involved in a grassroots way.

[Ann Herrold · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this more useful personally than the anti-capitalist handbook. This was well organized and interesting to read. I lived that it left you with the message that we are all needed for liberation and self-care is a radical act.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a modern Rules for Radicals centered around a deeply intersectional, anti-capitalist Black liberation movement. The Purpose of Power is a personal, informative and moving book that touches on the origins of Black Lives Matter and the background of one of its founders who grew up and began organizing in the Bay Area. But more so it’s a book about the policies and related culture wars that have sustained white supremacy and a ‘racialized patriarchy’ in the United States and the far reaching harm that does, most notably to Black people, as well as the political theories and strategies Alicia Garza sees most effective in our time to make real change. A must read for anyone who cares deeply about social justice.

[Donna Bijas · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Building a movement is about growing your tribe across difference to focus on a common set of goals.” Garza’s book on her life as an activist, community organizer and one of the 3 women who made Black Lives Matter a hashtag. She leaves everything on the table. Early life, getting two degrees, organizing neighborhoods to band together for safer neighborhoods and through all the violence of the deaths of so many Black men (and women), she and others continue to create movements of positive change. Nothing is left unsaid in this truly astounding and wonderful book.

[Anika Kalra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most inspiring, informative, and practical non-fiction I have ever read! 10/10 recommend!!!

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Purpose of Power" is part memoir, part history of the Black Lives Matter movement and part how-to manual for community organizers. I think Alicia Garza could have written three separate, compelling books on each of those things. But what we have here is a somewhat disjointed, not-too-satisfying effort to address all three. When the book is good, it's very good. For example, here's Garza on what some white liberals get wrong about identity politics and transactional approaches to power: "A just reckoning isn't a simple shift in who gets to oppress whom -- it will come when those who have been used to unparalleled power must reckon with what it means to distribute power more equally." Unfortunately, these passages and insights are interspersed with several sections where she tries to settle a score with DeRay Mckesson (he's NOT a founder of BLM, is what she wants you to know). If you're looking for practical tips on how to organize effectively, they're not to be found here. Garza says it's important to put in the time/do the work/think strategically, but doesn't really lay bare *how* she has done that or how she'd advise someone else to. I remain an admirer of her work and BLM, but I can't recommend the book.

Note: I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leroy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the author had some important things for me to know, mostly I felt like the book was hard to understand.

[Erin Isgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A really important book about a really important movement.

"When we declare that our future is Black, what we mean is that addressing the needs, concerns, hopes, and aspirations of Black people will bring about a better future for all of us. Addressing the needs, concerns, hopes, and aspirations of Black people will change how and who can access healthcare, education, jobs, and housing. Paying attention to what Black people need will keep people out of prisons and jails and will require investments in supporting people to put their lives back together--accessing mental and emotional health services, finding new solutions to address what happens when human beings harm one another, and addressing racist sentencing practices that criminalize Black life. Actualizing the dreams of Black communities means addressing inequities in immigration laws, expanding the opportunities for Black families of all kinds to be assured that their children could grow up to be adults, and allowing America to be reconstructed to get closer to what it promises--freedom, justice, and liberty for all."

***

"If today's hashtag is Make America Great Again, then the movement we need to build is one that will force America to be great for the first time. A movement where we recognize that we need one another to survive and that our survival can be interdependent rather than parasitic. A movement where we remind ourselves of what really connects all of us--a desire to be seen and valued, to make each day count, to be loved and to love in return. A movement where we resist replicating the same dynamics that we fight against...

"Making America great is forcing America to live up to its promise for the first time. Making America great is ensuring that America remembers each of us is but a tiny speck on this planet who must learn how to coexist in ways that allow others to live well too. Making America great is making right all that has been done wrong in the name of progress and profit. And at its core, making America great is a commitment to ensuring that everyone can have a good life." ~Alicia Garza, "The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart"

[Sujata Neidig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alicia Garza is one of 3 women who founded the Black Lives Matter movement. This book is part memoir and part educational. She talks about her background, how and why she got into organizing and the path she's taken since then. Over the last few years, there have been too many incidents of police brutality against Black Americans which through the help of BLM has highlighted and raised awareness of systemic racism. As much as I've been aware of these issues for a long time, these recent years have been a time of of change for me to truly invest in learning more and doing more. Alicia Garza gives so much information about these issues, how politics and policies have impacted them, her experiences and insights into addressing them along with her personal stories. I'm in awe of and incredibly grateful for the dedication, hard work and always-on mindset of her and other organizers. I learned so much about why we need change and what methods work - of course, there's no overnight fix, it takes time and collaboration. Alicia's writing is deep and captivating, so good that I highlighted a ton of passages to refer to later. She gives her views but also acknowledges and learns other views. I'm not sure I agree with everything she says, need to take time to digest it all. Another thing I loved was that she provides a vision of hope, true hope to close the book. Highly recommend reading this as a not just a book about racism but a book about organizing movements through collaboration. "Humans are social creatures; connection is at the core of who we are. And organizing 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."

[AC (toknowthyshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. And, honestly? I could not more highly recommend this book.

Part memoir of an individual, part history of a movement, part treatise on movement-building and modern organizing, The Purpose of Power is clear, cuts to the quick, and still leaves you with much to ponder. The title fits well, as Garza writes openly and with vulnerability, while not denying the power she possesses. She offers a way for our culture to reconsider power, not as a tool of oppression, but as one of empowerment and togetherness.

The only part which may seem disjointed to some readers is when she begins dissecting the disingenuous actions of another activist as regards to the Black Lives Matter organization. While she acknowledges some readers may see this portion as self-serving or airing out dirty laundry, I understood her greater point, in discussing the benefits and pitfalls of social celebrity as it relates to organizing for a movement. While other readers may have different experiences, I urge them to recognize the purpose of that discussion.

All in all, this book is so necessary for anyone seeking to organize within their community, to understand the power and dedication of community organizers, to understand the many forms of power our communities may or may not have, or those seeking a history of the Black Lives Matter movement. This was an excellent end of year read, and I am grateful to Alicia Garza for sharing it with us.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is SUCH a great read. The Purpose of Power is Alicia Garza’s personal story, her background, her experiences in organizing, leading, and activism is general, and the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement, but it is also the story of the utmost importance in organizing, participating, and actively working towards real change. The author has extensive experience in organizing and leading, dating back to her high school years, where she learnt a lot about the patriarchal and bigoted structures that often held up even the most radical of organizing groups. I really appreciated how she is so generous in providing deep insight into the work that is organizing: the pitfalls and the errors that we are often faced with, and also the successes and things that really work. Alicia Garza writes in such a way that you are immediately drawn into her world, ready to listen, to learn, and to take notes. The tone is smart, interesting, and inviting.

This is a memoir but it is also a guidebook for change, and I suggest everyone read it, whether interested in local activism, or organizing on a larger scale, or both. Alicia Garza’s The Purpose of Power provides in depth views of what it means to be completely invested in change, and how we can all carve a place for ourselves within this investment for all of our futures, together.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Garza, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, talks a bit about her own background in the beginning and the epilogue, and I appreciated that introduction to where she comes from - we need to understand people's stories to understand them. But she dedicates most of the book to movement building, organizing chapters thematically, as opposed to a strict chronology of her own organizing work, and I really value that approach, which helps readers think a bit more deeply on each aspect of movement building she covers. I put the book down thinking about her distinctions between popular alliances (I don't "alliances" is her exact term, but "popular" is) and long-term, values-driven alliances, and how too many organizers want only long-term, values-driven alliances in which everyone is aligned in values. The problem with those alliances is, of course, that they don't mobilize large enough numbers of people to act, and that they don't bring many new people into a movement. These analysis is particularly important when I compare Garza to many popular writers on race who do not have organizing backgrounds and who concentrate strictly on writing and analysis. Her bigger tent approach is something I will continue to think about as I contemplate the US' recent past and immediate future, and how to engage in it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

#blacklivesmatter (Saturday, July 13, 2013, 7:14pm) .... After the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin.

“Hashtags do not start movements—people do. Movements do not have official moments when they start and end, and there is never just one person who initiates them. Movements are much more like waves than they are like light switches. Waves ebb and flow, but they are perpetual, their starting point unknown, their ending point undetermined, their direction dependent upon the conditions that surround them and the barriers that obstruct them. We inherit movements. We recommit to them over and over again even when they break our hearts, because they are essential to our survival.”

Alicia Garza’s book details the events in America over the past 20 years that lead to her becoming an activist and organizer. Along with Opal Tometi and Patrice Cullors, she created the civil right movement Black Lives Matter. It was interesting reading about the public and behind the scenes struggles and successes of the movement and her hopes for a more equitable future for all. An inspiring and motivating read.

“We are fighting for a different world, and we are building new muscles to do so.”

(Listened to the audiobook read by the author)

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed getting inside the mind of Alicia Garza, one of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement. I think that Garza's framework and model of social movements are the most valuable lessons of this book, as well as her personal vision, and she spends a lot of time carefully defining what a movement is and what a movement isn't. This is mutually beneficial to those who "want to do something" in choosing real movements rather than vanity pitches and to the movements that want to recruit these people.

Garza includes a number of formative experiences which makes her relatable and helps draw parallels to our own stories. She asks questions and makes the text interactive to stimulate our own feelings of power and motivations for change. I really enjoyed this book up until the end, when I felt like she devoted too much time towards her conflict with DeRay Mckesson. I understand why it was included, but I just felt like it went on for too long.

I will keep this book on my shelf for when I feel lost and need grounding, and when I need inspiration to keep on pushing towards the world I want to live in.

[Care · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I enjoyed most about The Purpose of Power was learning about the history of the BLM movement and the life of one of its founders before and after its inception. Alicia Garza will be remembered for her tireless activism for Black Lives Matter, but she should be remembered for so much more. She has contributed so much in other organizations and her personal work as well. The American political, governmental, judicial, and policing systems need a LOT of reform and rebuilding and Alicia Garza shares her thoughts and ideas for the way forward.
There is so much more that she touches upon than just BLM and police reform though those are causes that are essential in her framework for change. But when she does discuss those topics there is such a resonance in her words. Reading her social media posts following the murder of Trayvon Martin was heartfelt, tragic, angering, and really illuminating for the founding of the movement.

Besides a reference to an organization that influenced her activism, the focus on narratives of power was fascinating. The difference between having power and feeling empowered. We may feel empowered when we fight for change, but unless we get that change, we do not have real power. That's why we are fighting. So that power can be shared fairly across race, gender, sexuality etc.

Glad I read this one. Recommend to people who are interested in social movements, memoirs, books on racism, police brutality and reform, and the making of a hero who I hope will be remembered and studied for generations to come.

[Jun Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garza, without any doubt, is probably one of the most eloquent writers (and speakers) most knowledgeable in movement organization and political theory I have read (heard). Her definition of a organizing - "it is about building relationships, and using those relationships to accomplish together what we cannot accomplish alone" - was spot on and aligns with our nature of wanting to be seen, heard, understood, and valued. She talked about the concepts of organizing, building a movement, decentralized leadership, building short-term vs long-term alliances, and hegemony, and explained these terms with the most timely examples, such as Trump's campaign, Black Lives Matter, and more. It reminds me of how leadership build up momentum and crowd support during socialist movements. I am left in awe. A formidable read.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've now read two of the founders of BLM's books/memoirs and they are both wonderful in their own right, although a bit different. I loved how Garza talked about building movements, building community, and relying on those around us to make an impact. This is a must read for anyone at a non-profit, anyone fighting to make change, anyone who wants to be better. She weaves in history lesson after history lesson, most of which I knew but some I didn't, weaved around a story of why it is important to build movements, and how to do it.

You cannot start a movement from a hashtag. Only organizing sustains movements, and anyone who cannot tell you a story of the organizing that led to a movement is not an organizer...

I'd highly recommend!

Thank you to One World publishing for my copy to review!