From the row houses of Baltimore to the stoops of Brooklyn, with
searing conviction and full compassion, D. Watkins, New
York Times bestselling author of The Cook Up and The
Beast Side lays bare the voices of the most vulnerable and allows
their raw, intimate stories to uncover the systematic injustice
threaded within our society. Honest and eye-opening, We Speak for
Ourselves makes us listen, feel, and create a course toward
change that starts right where we are.
Watkins introduces you to Down Bottom, the storied community of East
Baltimore that holds a mirror to America’s poor black
neighborhoods—“hoods” that could just as easily be in Chicago,
Detroit, Oakland, or Atlanta. As Watkins sees it, the perspective of
people who live in economically disadvantaged black communities is
largely absent from the commentary of many top intellectuals who
speak and write about race.
Unapologetic and
sharp-witted, D. Watkins is here to tell the truth as he has seen it.
We Speak for Ourselves offers an in-depth analysis of
inner-city hurdles and honors the stories therein. We sit in
underfunded schools, walk the blocks burdened with police corruption,
stand within an audience of Make America Great Again hats, journey
from trap house to university lecture, and rally in neglected
streets. And we listen.
Watkins shares the
lessons he has learned while navigating through two very distinct
worlds—the hood and the elite sanctums of prominent black thinkers
and public figures—serving hope to fellow Americans who are too
often ignored and calling on others to examine what it means to be a
model activist in today’s world. We Speak for Ourselves is a
must-read for all who are committed to social change.