Publishers Weekly
11/29/2021
Public policy researcher Opoku-Agyeman gathers in this invigorating essay collection a wide array of Black experts to discuss climate change, wealth inequality, voter suppression, and other issues that “inevitably and disproportionately impac Black life.” Contributors include Marshall Shepherd, former president of the American Meteorological Society, who notes that Black communities in the U.S. are “disproportionately affected by climate-related hazards... while accounting for a relatively small percentage of total carbon emissions” and encourages African Americans to “vote with the climate crisis in mind”; disability activist Tinu Abayomi-Paul, who calls for the government to “incentive businesses to remove the obstacles that prevent disabled people from being able to work”; and educational psychologist Lauren Mims, who discusses the “damaging beliefs” Black girls absorb about themselves in school and recommends the elimination of suspensions, expulsions, and other “destructive disciplinary policies.” Elsewhere, Black Voters Matter cofounder Cliff Albright calls on congressional Democrats to end the filibuster in order to pass voting rights legislation, and sociologist Hedwig Lee spotlights the burdens Black women bare as a result of criminal justice policies that unfairly target Black men. Though most of the contributors’ proposed solutions lack specifics, they’re effective as launching pads for further discussion. Policymakers will want to take note. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
"An ode to Black experts and their solutions to contemporary issues in the U.S. Consider it #RequiredReading." —Ms.
"An expansive set of essays highlighting the range and force of Black leadership....An inclusive, edifying, often fiery assembly of voices articulating the way forward for Black America—and America in general." —Kirkus Reviews
"Invigorating...policymakers will want to take note." —Publishers Weekly
"The Black Agenda mobilizes top Black experts from across the country to share transformative perspectives on how to deploy anti-racist ideas and policies into everything from climate policy to criminal justice to healthcare. This book will challenge what you think is possible by igniting long overdue conversations around how to enact lasting and meaningful change rooted in racial justice." —Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped From the Beginning
"This book is the first step towards defining Black expertise, assigning value to the work that we do, and taking up space in the public on our own terms. I, for one, am looking forward to being able to knock people on the head with the collection. I’m looking forward to the spaces in need of critical self-reflection that make this book a normal part of routine business and the discourse. And most of all, I am looking forward to everybody with any resource, no matter how small, reading this book too." —Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of Thick: And other Essays
"The Black Agenda is urgent. It's urgent that white people recognize that centering, listening to, and being led by the voices in this book are the start to investing in societal solutions. I wish that moral arguments of equity were enough but know they're not. These chapters are a strong mix of diagnosis and prescription, with an appropriate layer of moral calling to help us learn, reflect, and be motivated toward specific action." —Chelsea Clinton, New York Times bestselling author of She Persisted
"This book is overdue and imperative. We can't get clear national momentum without a core focus on the Black agenda. I am thrilled for the conversation and action this will inspire." —Wes Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore
"The Black Agenda brings together a group of brilliant thinkers offering bold solutions to combat many of the social problems facing Black people in the United States. This powerful collection is a must-read for anyone interested in turning anti-racist ideas into action." —Keisha N. Blain, Co-Editor of #1 New York Times bestseller Four Hundred Souls
"The Black Agenda elevates the much-needed insight of Black scholars on the front lines of the most pressing discourses of today. It serves as a jump-start for how we should all be thinking about the future of our world while healing the problems of our past." —Raquel Willis, writer and activist
"The Black Agenda is a deeply smart and important book. It offers excellent ideas of how to fix our deeply broken system. This is a must read." —Molly Jong-Fast
"The Black Agenda is bold and unflinching, tackling urgent issues coupled with policy-oriented solutions. I look forward to the work that this volume will catalyze in the world.” —Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, Harvard Associate Professor and Founder, The Vision and Justice Project
Library Journal
02/01/2022
As the coronavirus pandemic began to decimate Black communities across the United States in 2020, economist/activist Opoku-Agyeman interrogated why the media largely ignored Black policy experts. Redressing the imbalance, her new edited volume features essays by 34 of these experts—professors; scientists; researchers; entrepreneurs; nonprofit and think tank leaders—on policy solutions for ending systemic racism in the U.S. The book is divided into eight topic areas: climate, health care, wellness, education, criminal justice, economy, and public policy. The short essays are packed with statistics, acronyms, and some policy jargon; while they can at times make for dry reading, they offer fresh ideas and perspectives on many of the most pressing problems of this era. Standout essays include Brandeis Marshall on algorithmic assault, Cliff Albright on voting rights, Fenaba R. Addo on student loans and the Black wealth gap, and Kyle K. Moore on stratification economics. A powerful foreword by Tressie McMillan Cottom offers a starting point for critical self-reflection. VERDICT An important volume for anyone involved in dismantling systemic racism through advocacy and public policy.—Kate Stewart
Kirkus Reviews
2021-11-13
An expansive set of essays highlighting the range and force of Black leadership.
Opoku-Agyeman puts the point bluntly in her introduction: “Black experts matter now more than ever because they are not just critical to providing us with the tools and language to decipher a world bent on undermining Black life—they are also equipped to provide the backdrop of lived experience that further contextualizes their expertise. Experience is the difference between studying racial inequality and living through it.” Each contributor demonstrates the value of such perspectives on an impressively broad set of subjects: climate, health care, wellness, education, technology, criminal justice, the economy, and public policy. Such breadth exposes racist ideologies and practices in diverse areas of contemporary life while also drawing attention to their complex interrelations. As the essays make clear, understanding Black experiences and furthering anti-racist activism means accounting for the sequelae of any "isolated" phenomenon: Fair and effective responses to climate change, for instance, must involve consideration of systemic biases in such areas as housing, policing, and commerce. The contributors repeatedly underscore the urgency of such intersectional approaches during the pandemic, given its disproportionate impact on Black communities. Among the most instructive and stimulating essays in this collection are those that target rapidly evolving forms of racial discrimination, as in Deborah Raji’s examination of the embedded biases and blind spots of Amazon’s facial recognition technology. A particular strength of many of the essays, moreover, is their precision in identifying forms of resistance that have proven successful in the past and in speculating on those that hold special promise for the future. Cliff Albright’s exploration of voter suppression stands out in this regard. “Sustained direct action, including civil disobedience” will be necessary, he affirms, for the protection of voting rights. Tressie McMillan Cottom provides the foreword, and the recommended reading lists a trove of worthy books to further education.
An inclusive, edifying, often fiery assembly of voices articulating the way forward for Black America—and America in general.
