Say Their Names: How Black Lives Came to Matter in America

Say Their Names: How Black Lives Came to Matter in America by Curtis Bunn, Michael H. Cottman, Patrice Gaines, Nick Charles, and Keith Harriston

For many, the weeks of protests in the summer of 2020 began with the horrific nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds when police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd on camera, and it ended with the sweeping federal, state, and intrapersonal changes that followed. It is a simple story, wherein white America finally witnessed enough brutality to move its shared consciousness. The only problem is that this narrative isn't true. George Floyd was not the first Black man to be killed by police -- he wasn't even the first to inspire nationwide protests -- yet his death came at a time when America was already at a tipping point.

In Say Their Names, five seasoned journalists probe this critical shift. With a piercing examination of how white supremacy has been propagated throughout history, from the convict leasing program to longstanding predatory medical practices, the authors highlight the disparities that have long characterized the dangers of being Black in America. They examine the many moderate attempts to counteract the devastation of systemic racism, and how the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others pushed compliance with an unjust system to its breaking point.

With a combination of penetrating, focused journalism and affecting personal insight, the authors bring together their collective years of reporting, creating a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of racial inequality in America.

Grand Central Publishing, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2021