The Solidarity Struggle: How People of Color Succeed and Fail At Showing Up For Each Other In the Fight For Freedom

by Mia McKenzie (Editor), CeCe McDonald (Foreword)

Writers, activists and artists of color share their visions for, and struggles with, solidarity at the intersections of PoC identity in “The Solidarity Struggle”. How can we as Black, Indigenous and people of color, show up for each other? How are we succeeding and failing at that? Is there any hope for real solidarity between us? If not, what does that mean for us? If so, what will it take?

Featuring Black Lives Matter organization co-founder Patrisse Cullors; trangender activist CeCe McDonald; activist and organizer Jennicet Gutiérrez; writer Ngọc Loan Trần; Lifted Voices co-founder Kelly Hayes; comic artist Ethan Parker; and more!

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Justice, Race

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2017

About the author

Mia McKenzie is the award-winning author of The Summer We Got Free and the creator of Black Girl Dangerous Media, an independent media and education project that centers queer Black women and girls. She lives with her parenting partner and two children in the Happy Valley of Western Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Rachel Sloot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book thoroughly, then read it again, then read select chapters a third time, because that is how important the information within is. The Solidarity Struggle is written in short story format from a number of LGBTQ black and non-black POC perspectives on everything from class disparity to the (in)justice system to religion and more. The novel is written for black and non-black POC but I think anyone from any background would benefit from reading about the lived experiences shared by all the contributors. It is illuminating and staggering, and also very educational as they share pieces of advice for those looking to stand in solidarity with different POC communities. There is so much to say about this book and it's takeaways - all I can do is highly encourage people to read it for themselves.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great little book, one I'd definitely return to. Although it was not written "for" me as a white person--it is for and by people of colour working together in social justice movements--there is still a lot to chew on here for anyone interested in the complexities of solidarity and intersectionality. Although this book cannot represent the specificities of every geographical location in terms of racial politics, it does have representation from writers living in the US, Canada & UK. There are also writers of many different racial/ethnic/cultural backgrounds, employment statuses, citizenship statuses, and sexual and gender identities. The issues it deals with are also diverse, and the articles range in content from more pragmatic listicle-type articles that list ways to show up for, for example, sex workers or Indigenous people or undocumented people, to articles where authors explore the ways that they have personally been failed by gaps in community understanding of particular issues or experiences.

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is terrific. Self-reflective and optimistic essays on the blind spots that people of color can have around social justice even when we have the best intentions. Recommended for anyone who strives to think and act in ways that center the oppression of the most vulnerable people in society.

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. As with most edited collections, some essays felt significantly stronger and more nuanced than others (hence the 4-star rating). But I found many of these pieces fascinating and I think this would be a rich resource for teaching (maybe as like an introduction to various subjects that students could research/explore in greater depth). I feel like as a white reader and teacher, one thing I’m trying to be more conscious of my own tendency to center whiteness or to think of race relations only in terms of another group’s relationship to whiteness (ie having my default assumption that conversations about structural racism = conversations about relations between white/black or white/Latinx or white/other POC). This felt like a good resource and I’ll definitely be checking out some of the contributors’ other work for further reading. I really appreciated that this collection let me kinda listen in on conversations about QPOC solidarity without having the in-real-life awkwardness entering into QPOC spaces as a white queer and feeling like my presence is asking other people to accommodate me. Anyway, good book, would recommend.

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really refreshing anthology that focused on the many intersections amongst different races/ethnicities in the activist community. The stories focused on how we can better serve our collective communities as a whole, and addressed some issues that we are struggling with currently.

I can't say much of these conversations were new to me, but some opened my eyes to others' points of view of the same issues. I also wish there were more having to do with disability, particularly representing our struggles and voices. Did you know that half of people killed by police are disabled? Did you know 1 out of 3 excessive force claims involve a disabled person?

I don't dislike the book at all. In fact, I enjoyed reading it. Some of the accounts validated my own struggles and some exposed a new perspective on centuries old intra-community problems. I particularly liked the suggestions on how we can better understand and support one another.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agreed with nearly everything that the various writers have said, but I felt the message is a little too simplified at times. Many of the writers tend to reduce all forms of oppression to anti-blackness. While I agree that many forms of oppression have their roots in anti-blackness I don't believe that is the whole story. I do appreciate the variety of voices presented. All kinds of oppression are exposed and discussed and their links are emphasized. The primary thesis of the book is that we can't fight oppression without solidarity among people of color so many of the articles are about conflicts and connections between racial groups. That point is the strength of this book, pointing out what behaviors and ideas have to change to create solidarity and the emphasis on the absolute necessity of solidarity.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED reading this book for class over the past few months. These stories are so raw and courageous and have opened my eyes to new ways of seeing the world. My program has given me the opportunity to hear so many amazing, important life stories of resiliance and struggle and this is a collection of some powerful ones.

[Mills College Library]

305.8 S6866 2016

[Saavigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important read; includes some classic essays, while others vary in quality.

[Sisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How people of color succeed and fail at showing up for each other.” What a great series of short essays, from a true diversity of perspectives, including the LGBTQ POC community, non-Black POC community, and incarcerated POC community. But what I love most about this book is that it’s not a bunch of famous or well-known people speaking. It’s voices of people in the weeds, doing the work in their own space, being vulnerable, owning their mistakes (mistakes that I’ve also made), and giving concrete steps they took to become better allies, friends, and loved ones.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I expected more than I got. I am conscious about the need for people of color to amplify the voice and work of other people of color, and while this book touches a little on that, it is more of a rallying call for people of color to get involved in trans and indigenous causes and issues. Not as strong and useful as I'd hope.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, accessible and cohesive collection, that leaves the space of leaving the reader to learn more and integrate these essays into personal solidarity practices.