Author: Kellie Carter Jackson
Publisher & Date: Seal Press, 4 Jun 2024
Page Count: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1541602908
Age/Reading Level: Adult
Representation: Black, female
Other Information:
Book Information
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.
Challenges & Bans
This book is frequently challenged by detractors as “woke CRT nonsense” because it offers an unflinching account of Black resistance that challenges the “preferred” historical narrative of Black activists who preached non-violence, such as Martin Luther King Jr. that some opponents prefer. This has it’s roots in the broader trend of challenging the teaching of Black history in schools as “Critical Race Theory”, framing the subject as “divisive” and “woke” in an effort to avoid discussions of systemic racism and to keep school curriculum focused more on the traditional white, male, Christian viewpoint.
Specific Challenges*:
Awards & Accolades
Organization of American Historians’ 2025 Darlene Clark Hines Award; Named a Best Book of 2024 by Smithsonian, Kirkus, Chicago Review of Books, Emancipator, Ms. Magazine
