Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America

What do the struggles of the past teach us about the urgent challenges in our own time? Resist chronicles the inspiring story of young Black activists who have fought tirelessly at the helm for justice over the last century, from the 1920s to the Trayvon generation—how they reshaped America, left an indelible mark on history, and pave the way for the crucial work that must be done today.

Growing up as a Nigerian immigrant in the South Bronx, award-winning journalist Rita Omokha contended with her Blackness. In 2020, when George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer, her exploration further developed as she traveled to thirty states attempting to mine contemporary race relations in the U.S. During her trip, she encountered audacious young people like 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, who filmed Floyd’s murder, entering a seismic tragedy into the public and historical records, which in turn set off a wave of unprecedented protests across the country. Darnella’s quick thinking and courage in that moment is part of a more significant that of the young Black people—often only teenagers—who have been at the forefront of fortifying and safeguarding American democracy in the last hundred years.

In Resist, Rita charts the last century of that activism, from the early years of renowned activist Ella Baker, an HBCU student who established critical grassroots organizing networks in the 1920s, and others she inspired, who fought for policy changes in the wake of the unjust trial of the Scottsboro Nine to the first glimpse of allyship in the Bates Seven and a renewed examination of the Black Panthers, all the way to the current generation of young Black revolutionaries who walked American cities in the wake of the murders of countless Black people, from Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown to George Floyd. Rita also draws on her own experiences as a Black immigrant living in America, offering a unique and insightful perspective on this ongoing struggle for justice.

Rendered with empathy and care, Resist ties these pivotal stories together—and so many more that are lesser known—into one gripping narrative of resilience and unity, and how young Black activists redefined American history. View Less