We Refuse, Kellie Carter Jackson
We Refuse, Kellie Carter Jackson
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We Refuse
A Forceful History of Black Resistance

Author: Kellie Carter Jackson

Narrator: Kellie Carter Jackson

Unabridged: 9 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 07/09/2024


Synopsis

Black resistance to white supremacy is often reduced to a simple binary, between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolence and Malcolm X's "by any means necessary." In We Refuse, historian Kellie Carter Jackson urges us to move past this false choice, offering an unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women.

The dismissal of "Black violence" as an illegitimate form of resistance is itself a manifestation of white supremacy, a distraction from the insidious, unrelenting violence of structural racism. Force—from work stoppages and property destruction to armed revolt—has played a pivotal part in securing freedom and justice for Black people since the days of the American and Haitian Revolutions. But violence is only one tool among many. Carter Jackson examines other, no less vital tactics that have shaped the Black struggle, from the restorative power of finding joy in the face of suffering to the quiet strength of simply walking away.

Clear-eyed, impassioned, and ultimately hopeful, We Refuse offers a fundamental corrective to the historical record, a love letter to Black resilience, and a path toward liberation.

About Kellie Carter Jackson

Kellie Carter Jackson is the Knafel Assistant Professor of the Humanities at Wellesley College. She is coeditor of Reconsidering Roots: Race, Politics, and Memory.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nathan on April 03, 2025

What I love about this book is showing the depth of history. Often times, the understanding of the political movements of the past extend only to the broadest contexts that focus on singular events or “great men,” but this does a great job at exploring the larger, deeper, more intimate context of th......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on January 02, 2025

Powerful and well-written book about Black resistance to white supremacy with a focus on the United States. Loved Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson’s writing about violent resistance and the importance of considering violence as a tool to fight back against literal murder, lynching, dehumanization, etc. Wel......more

Goodreads review by Lois on July 08, 2024

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Kellie Carter Jackson, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley. The narrator of this audiobook is Kellie Carter Jackson. I am not usually a fan of authors reading their own nonfiction history books, but this was really well done. The audio quali......more

Goodreads review by Daphinie on January 10, 2025

Firstly, this cover should be a poster, it’s so beautiful! Secondly, this book was amazing! I have been slowly working through W. E. B. Du Bois’ ‘Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880’ which this book refers to on page one so I am familiar with how far our history has been whitewashed and frank......more

Goodreads review by Lindsay on February 20, 2025

Learned a lot of history that was not taught in my classes, or if it was it was not with this level of detail, care, and empathy. Appreciated especially the focus on black women’s roles in rebellion......more