The Book – Reimagining the Revolution

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SYNOPSIS

These are the architects of the modern civil rights movement: 4 profiles of revolutionary groups making change beyond protest

A lot of books about racial justice ask us how we got here, but Reimagining the Revolution is different: award-winning journalist and activist Paula Lehman-Ewing presents an inside-access look at the activists redefining where we go from here. Readers will hear from:

Ivan Kilgore, an incarcerated activist who founded the 501c3 nonprofit United Black Family Scholarship Foundation from behind prison walls
Critical Resistance, one of the oldest grassroots organizations in the nation working to dismantle the prison-industrial complex
The co-founders of Greenwood, a Black-owned financial technology institution designed specifically for Black and Latino people and businesses: Michael Render, aka Killer Mike, Amb. Andrew Young and Ryan Glover
Incarcerated activist Heshima Denham on his grassroots efforts to build a society for Black and Brown people independent of the state
The Movement for Black Lives, the Alliance for Safety and Justice, BYP 100, and 8toAbolition
Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists using art to heal from trauma, connect with other incarcerated people, and amplify abolitionist change

Reimagining the Revolution is a call to action for each of us: if we can access the tools we have, we can dream bigger, think outside the box, and follow the paths laid out by change-making activists toward nothing short of revolution.

PRAISE FOR RTR

Piper Kerman

Author of Orange is the New Black

In Reimagining the Revolution, Paula Lehman-Ewing not only imagines a world where people don’t rely on police and prisons for safety, she also introduces us to the people building this new reality in their communities now. In this personal exploration of today’s abolition movement Lehman-Ewing takes the reader around the United States – the most incarcerated nation in human history – to reveal the creative and profound actions abolitionists are taking to make their communities safer and more free. Reimagining the Revolution provides vibrant and intimate portraits of people directly impacted by America’s policies of mass incarceration, and shows how their work promises to change the world via concrete and pragmatic steps toward abolition.

Ellis Cose

Author of The Short Life and Curious Death of Free Speech in America, Race and Reckoning, Democracy if We Can Keep It, The End of Anger, The Rage of a Privileged Class, and more.

Reimagining the Revolution is a deeply personal, compellingly passionate, and surprisingly comprehensive take on the horrid state of the American justice system. As she focuses on an array of ideas around race and justice, Lehman-Ewing presents vignettes from assorted lives—many interrupted by incarceration—that take us beyond the superficial stereotypes that serve as justification for the status quo. In arguing for the abolition of the current system, she advocates a radical rethinking of virtually every commonly held view about the value and actual practice of incarceration. Along the way, she reminds us that the 13th Amendment did not really end slavery and that vengeance is a poor excuse for irrational policies. Whether you agree with her revolutionary solution or not, you will almost certainly find her key arguments impossible to ignore.

Victoria Law

Journalist and author of Prison By Any Other Name and “Prisons Make Us Safer” and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration

Reimagining the Revolution is both a call to action and a series of road maps, showing readers how those most impacted by prisons and policing are creating a world in which both are rendered obsolete. Paula Lehman-Ewing invites us to see abolition not as a far-off goal, but as living practices and concrete programs that we can incorporate into our daily lives.

Jason Masino

Author of Sinner’s Prayer

Reimagining the Revolution is a timely and compelling exploration into the heart of contemporary social justice movements. Inspired by past and present events, Lehman-Ewing guides readers through the nuanced landscape of criminal justice reform and the profound racial reckoning that continues to shape our world. With a keen eye for dynamic storytelling, she introduces us to the courageous individuals at the forefront of change, providing a vivid tapestry of their journeys and contributions. This book not only sheds light on the urgent need for societal transformation but also serves as a practical guide for those seeking to actively engage in the pursuit of justice. Lehman-Ewing’s work is a testament to the power of storytelling in inspiring meaningful action. Reimagining the Revolution is an indispensable resource for anyone passionate about creating a more just and equitable world. A must-read that challenges, enlightens, and empowers.

THE ARCHITECTS

The literary project of RTR features six individuals/organizations paving new roads toward a new, just future.

Ivan Kilgore and the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation

Through an intricate system of interconnectivity, Ivan Kilgore, an incarcerated activist in California, has created a web of prison advocacy out of the people closest to the problem — his fellow prisoners.

Angela Davis, Critical Resistance and the National Network on Abolition

Davis has long maintained that the system of mass incarceration is the inevitable result of “racial capitalism.” To dismantle that system, Davis’ Critical Resistance National Network on Abolition hits where it hurts: the bank.

Killer Mike, Greenwood, and the Bank Black Movement

As one part of the hip hop duo Run the Jewels, Killer Mike incorporates striking lyrics into his albums about police brutality and systemic racism, a popular choice for many artists trying to capture this era of turmoil. What distinguishes Render from other artists is his side gig: The Bank Black movement.

Heshima Denham, Amend the 13th and the Autonomous Infrastructure Mission

Denham has been incarcerated for 30 years (8 of which were spent in solitary confinement). During that time, he’s developed the Autonomous Infrastructure Mission (A.I.M), a functional blueprint for designing a new world.