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| Carolyn Holbrook |
In 2020, Minneapolis became the epicenter of the racial reckoning that erupted from the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of police. The global uprising that demanded accountability for Floyd’s death and the murders of countless other unarmed Black people drew a multi-generational and cross-cultural coalition. Harnessing revolutionary fervor from the Twin Cities creative spring, editors Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura assembled more than 30 essays and poems from writers, activists, community leaders, scholars and others in “We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World.” The writings featured in the collection keep alive the hope for true transformation.
Stories in “We are Meant to Rise” show the rich diversity of black, indigenous, immigrant and other people of color in Minnesota. Holbrook, founder and director of More than a Single Story, created space for community building in an effort to bring people together and understand each other. The book acts as a time capsule of reflections about being Black, brown, indigenous & immigrant in a city that resembles much of America. There are poignant stories of immigration from the points of view of various communities, including Hmong, Somali, Korean, Lebanese, among others. Many stories share the narrative of survival, of healing from trauma, and emerging intact from the crushing weight of generational wounds. Each featured voice – from award-winning authors Resmaa Menakem and Louise Eldrich to fresh voices Suleiman Adan and Erin Sharkey – tells an authentic story and offers a unique lens to overcoming the burden of systemic racism as part of the American experience.
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| David Mura |
While the book features Minnesota-based writers, readers from all over would recognize the similar tensions and struggle about who gets to claim and define an American identity and whose realities are validated. Writers offer their journey toward realization and understanding of showing how people navigate everyday encounters with differences, while also bearing witness to inequities in power and access.
“We are Meant to Rise” is a thoughtfully curated volume, as each story deserves a pause and applause. One cannot simply jump from one to another without fully internalizing the depth of the lesson that had been shared. I highly recommend this book for anyone who feels compelled to act against racism and white supremacy, by taking the requisite first step of deeply understanding the complexities of race relations in the United States.
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| Buy from UMN Press |