This definitive guide to America's present-day racial reckoning
examines the forces that pushed our unjust system to its breaking point
after the death of George Floyd.
For many, the story of the weeks of protests in the summer of 2020 began
with the horrific nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds when Police
Officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd on camera, and it ended with
the sweeping federal, state, and intrapersonal changes that followed. It
is a simple story, wherein white America finally witnessed enough
brutality to move their collective consciousness. The only problem is
that it isn't true. George Floyd was not the first Black man to be
killed by police--he wasn't even the first to inspire nation-wide
protests--yet his death came at a time when America was already at a
tipping point.
In Say Their Names, five seasoned journalists probe this critical
shift. With a piercing examination of how inequality has been propagated
throughout history, from Black imprisonment and the Convict Leasing
program to long-standing predatory medical practices to over-policing,
the authors highlight the disparities that have long characterized the
dangers of being Black in America. They examine the many moderate
attempts to counteract these inequalities, from the modern Civil Rights
movement to Ferguson, and how the killings of George Floyd, Breonna
Taylor and others pushed compliance with an unjust system to its
breaking point. Finally, they outline the momentous changes that have
resulted from this movement, while at the same time proposing necessary
next steps to move forward.
With a combination of penetrating, focused journalism and affecting
personal insight, the authors bring together their collective years of
reporting, creating a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of racial
inequality in America.
