A riveting exploration of how the power of visual media over the
last few years has shifted the narrative on race and reignited the
push towards justice by the author of the “worthy and necessary”
(The New York Times) Nobody,
Marc Lamont Hill, and the bestselling author and acclaimed journalist
Todd Brewster.
With his signature
“clear and courageous” (Cornel West) voice Marc Lamont Hill and
New York Times bestselling author Todd Brewster weave four recent
pivotal moments in America’s racial divide into their disturbing
historical context—starting with the killing of George Floyd—Seen
and Unseen reveals the connections between our current news
headlines and social media feeds and the country’s long struggle
against racism.
For most of American
history, our media has reinforced and promoted racism. But with the
immediacy of modern technology—the ubiquity of smartphones, social
media, and the internet—that long history is now in flux. From the
teenager who caught George Floyd’s killing on camera to the
citizens who held prosecutors accountable for properly investigating
the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, ordinary people are now able to reveal
injustice in a more immediate way. As broad movements to overhaul
policing, housing, and schooling gain new vitality, Seen and
Unseen demonstrates that change starts with the raw evidence of
those recording history on the front lines.
In the vein of The
New Jim Crow and Caste, Seen and Unseen incisively
explores what connects our moment to the history of race in America
but also what makes today different from the civil rights movements
of the past and what it will ultimately take to push social justice
forward.