Book, Purpose of power, O: black lives and social movements in the 21st century[LS]

Language: Brazilian Portuguese. Hashtags don't build movements, people do. In The Purpose of Power, #BlackLivesMatter co-creator Alicia Garza reflects on the origins and developments of social organization. Black Lives Matter began in 2013, when Alicia Garza wrote what she called “a love letter to black people” on Facebook following the acquittal of the man who murdered Trayvon Martin. “Our lives matter,” she wrote. In a short time, #BlackLivesMatter became the most viewed and listened to hashtag across the world. However, long before creating the slogan that would mark our time, the author spent two decades learning and unlearning difficult lessons about mobilization and social organization. The Purpose of Power interweaves these lessons with the author's life experience as a black woman who discovers herself as a social and queer activist. Garza defends the importance of opening space for those who are still awakening to activism, in order to inspire and mobilize more people for the fight. That's why it's important to understand not only where Black Lives Matter came from, but also the possibilities that related organizations bring to our collective future in building one of the most important movements of our time. “A love letter that should be read around the world.” — Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be Antiracist “Garza’s call to action to create a sustainable movement bigger than hashtags and social media followers is urgently and critically needed.” —Team