Someday We'll All Be Free

by Kevin Powell

Someday We’ll All Be Free is the indispensable and passionate follow-up to Kevin Powell’s best-selling essay collection, Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? Manhood, Race, and Power in America. Here Powell widens his lens and skillfully dissects the dreams of American freedom and democracy in these early days of the 21st century. Be it the reelection of President George W. Bush, the colossal tragedy of September 11th and the policies and wars that have followed, or the historic destruction of the city of New Orleans before our very eyes, Powell tells us the uncomfortable truths about America, his country, and yours, too. These coolly observant essays, quilted together, firmly establish why Powell is widely considered one of America’s brightest leaders and thinkers.

Genres: Race, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2006

About the author

Kevin Powell is an American writer, activist, and television personality whose work spans journalism, literature, politics, and grassroots social change. With a career defined by outspoken advocacy for justice and deep engagement with Black culture and history, Powell has published 14 books, including The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood and When We Free the World. He was a senior writer for Vibe magazine during its formative years and played a key role in shaping its editorial voice, especially in profiling hip-hop culture and icons like Tupac Shakur.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Powell was raised in poverty by a single mother and became the first in his family to graduate high school. He went on to study at Rutgers University through the Educational Opportunity Fund, focusing on political science, English, and philosophy. His academic and personal awakening to Black literature and politics led him to become an activist and organizer for causes such as anti-apartheid movements, voter registration drives, and Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign.
Powell's public profile rose nationally as an original cast member of MTV’s The Real World: New York in 1992. He used his time on the show to engage viewers in conversations about race, identity, and masculinity. That same year, he joined Vibe magazine and became one of its most prominent voices, covering major figures in Black music and culture. His interviews with Tupac Shakur remain among the most defining pieces written on the late rapper.
Beyond journalism, Powell has contributed to The New York Times, Esquire, The Washington Post, Essence, TIME, and more. His writing connects contemporary social issues with historical and cultural narratives, particularly around race, gender, and identity. His essays and reflections often draw from personal experiences, including past struggles with violence and transformation through therapy, education, and activism.
Powell’s commitment to social justice extends into community organizing and political engagement. He ran twice as a Democratic candidate for Congress in Brooklyn, New York, in 2008 and 2010, centering his campaigns on transparency, equity, and grassroots empowerment. He has worked internationally, lecturing and leading workshops, and served as the U.S. ambassador for the Dylan Thomas Centennial.
In addition to curating historical and literary anthologies, Powell continues to publish poetry, most recently Grocery Shopping with My Mother, which was also released as a spoken word album and received a 2024 GRAMMY nomination. His archive is held by Cornell University, reflecting his influence as a public intellectual and chronicler of Black life.
Throughout his multifaceted career, Powell has remained dedicated to redefining manhood, uplifting marginalized voices, and challenging systems of oppression through the written word and public service.

Reviews

[Richard]

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast region of the United States in late August 2005, writer and activist Kevin Powell knew he had to do something. He personally traveled to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houston to interview and help survivors. He organized large truck shipments to the affected region by staging two major New York City benefits in the span of three months. He co-created Katrina on the Ground, which sent over 700 young people, mostly college students, to the devastated area as an alternative Spring Break in March 2006. And Powell wrote the bulk of his seventh book, Someday We'll All Be Free, in the midst of this national tragedy, including the third and final essay, "A Psalm for New Orleans."

"This is the hardest book I've ever written," Powell says, "because it was born in the midst of a great catastrophe, and in the aftermath of that catastrophe, with little time for me to deal with my own trauma, pain, and sadness around what happened in New Orleans. But I felt compelled to write because we have to document this episode in the American journey honestly, with the hope and determination that it will never happen again."

Using the Katrina calamity as his inspiration for truth-telling, Powell decided to add a previously unpublished essay about the 2004 presidential election ("Looking for America") and a long meditation on September 11th ("September 11th") to Someday We'll All Be Free (the book title comes from the classic Donny Hathaway song). The result is Powell's most distinguished work to date, three literary sermons that bring to mind the raw brilliance of James Baldwin, the iconoclastic musings of Norman Mailer, and the stinging political sobriety of Joan Didion. While Someday We'll All Be Free is about specific times and specific situations in American history, these pieces transcend these times and situations and become a virtual town hall meeting on the enduring quest for freedom and democracy in America, and on this planet, in these early days of the 21st century. Indeed, these coolly observant essays-essays that tackle difficult topics like war, terrorism, poverty, the American identity, leadership, religion, patriotism, and the cooptation of hiphop-firmly establish why Powell is widely considered one of America's brightest leaders and thinkers.

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book from writer Kevin Powell.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Powell is pissed. And while some of this book (a series of essays, really) can feel like a tangent, most of it is right on point with regards to the sad history of how African-Americans have been treated in the US over the years right up until Katrina hit in 2005. And while there is quite a bit about terrorism, Islam and our country post-9/11 in his work, he keeps coming back to the idea that we need to look inward to answer the question "why do they hate us?" I think he proves his point that in some ways, it starts with how Americans treat other Americans. Really important but sad reading.

[Kenneth Shareef · Rating 5 out of 5]

My homeboy's book ...great comtemporary perspective on what it means to be African American in the U.S. and how society handles the community in crucial situations
Bro. Powell is on point and has been for a long time

[Fátima López Sevilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new in these three speeches/texts, but it's good not to forget. Mainly for US people, who tend to forget about their everyday racism and how they are not the country they pretend to be.