About this Book

Download your free digital copy of Making Black Lives Matter: Confronting Anti-Black Racism!

At the heart of racist attitudes and behaviors is anti-Black racism, which simply put, is the disregard and disdain of Black life. Anti-Black racism negatively impacts every aspect of the lives of Black people.

Edited by renowned scholar and psychologist Kevin Cokley, Making Black Lives Matter: Confronting Anti-Black Racism explores the history and contemporary circumstances of anti-Black racism, offers powerful personal anecdotes, and provides recommendations and solutions to challenging anti-Black racism in its various expressions.

The book features chapters written by scholars, practitioners, activists, and students. The chapters reflect diverse perspectives from the Black community and writing styles that range from scholarly text supported by cited research to personal narratives that highlight the lived experiences of the contributors. The book focuses on the ways that anti-Black racism manifests and has been confronted across various domains of Black life using research, activism, social media, and therapy.

In the words of Cokley: "It is my hope that the book will provide a blueprint for readers that will empower them to actively confront anti-Blackness wherever it exists, because this is the only way we will progress toward making Black lives matter."

A Statement from the Editor in Recognition and Celebration of Black History Month 2023

"As we prepare to celebrate Black History Month, the relevance of my book, Making Black Lives Matter: Confronting Anti-Black Racism, could not be more significant. In Florida an AP African American studies course has been rejected in Florida schools because it supposedly has no ''educational value.'' The reasons given for its rejection include it being an example of ''the woke indoctrination'' of students that would violate state laws restricting how race can be taught in schools. Sadly, in some states this Black Lives Matter book would also likely be targeted in schools as an example of ''woke indoctrination.''

We should not celebrate Black History Month without acknowledging the fraught political context of Black education. Concerns about critical race theory are simply attempts to censor any honest discussion about the historical and contemporary effects of institutional racism, which is a central part of the lived experience of Black people. Black history is rife with stories about courageous individuals challenging institutional and anti-Black racism. Making Black Lives Matter offers a blueprint for social justice-minded individuals to actively confront anti-Blackness."

Making Black Lives Matter is the recipient of a 2022 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association. Read the press release to learn more.

Making Black Lives Matter is a book that is meant to be shared! The goal for Cognella for publishing this book is to amplify the voices of those who need to be heard and to provide readers free access to critical scholarship on topics that affect our everyday lives. We''re proud to provide free digital copies of the book to anyone who wants to read it. So, we encourage you to spread the word and share the book with everyone you know.

If you''d like a print copy of Making Black Lives Matter, you can purchase one at cost via Amazon or barnesandnoble.com. Pricing is set by the distributors, though it is intended to only cover printing and shipping costs. If Cognella receives any proceeds from the sale of print copies, the full amount will be donated to a nonprofit organization benefitting the Black community, to be determined by editor Kevin Cokley.

Learn more about Making Black Lives Matter: Confronting Anti-Black Racism!

If you post about the book on social media, please use the hashtags #MakingBlackLivesMatter and #Cognella to join the conversation!

Chapters and contributors include:

Introduction - Kevin Cokley, Ph.D.

Part I - Activism

Chapter 1: "Historical Overview of the Black Struggle: Factors Affecting African American Activism" - Benson G. Cooke, Edwin J. Nichols, Schuyler C. Webb, Steven J. Jones, and Nia N. Williams

Chapter 2: "Facilitating Black Survival and Wellness through Scholar-Activism" - Della V. Mosley, Pearis Bellamy, Garrett Ross, Jeannette Mejia, LaNya Lee, Carla Prieto, and Sunshine Adam

Chapter 3: "Confronting Anti-Black Racism and Promoting Social Justice: Applications through Social Media" - Erlanger A. Turner, Maryam Jernigan-Noesi, and Isha Metzger

Chapter 4: "#Say Her Name: The Impact of Gendered Racism and Misogynoir on the Lives of Black Women" - Jioni A. Lewis

Part II - Public Policy

Chapter 5: "A Tale of Three Cities: Segregation and Anti-Black Education Policy in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Austin" - Annika Olson

Chapter 6: "Policing the Black Diaspora: Colonial Histories and Global Inequities in Policing and Carceral Punishment" - Ricardo Henrique Lowe, Jr.

Chapter 7: "Building Health Equity among Black Young People with Lived Experience of Homelessness" - Norweeta G. Milburn and Dawn T. Bounds

Chapter 8: "Anti-Blackness and Housing Inequality in the United States: A History of Housing Discrimination in Major Metropolitan Cities" - Tracie A. Lowe

Part III - Community Voices

Chapter 9: "Values-Driven, Community-Led Justice in Austin: A Project" - Sukyi McMahon and Chas Moore

Chapter 10: "Leveraging the Power of Education to Confront Anti-Black Racism" - David W. Nowlin, Robert Muhammad, and Llyas Salahud-din

Chapter 11: "Let the Òrìṣà Speak: Traditional Healing for Contemporary Times" - Ifetayo I. Ojelade

Chapter 12: "The Victorious Mind: Addressing the Black Male in a Time of Turmoil" - Rico Mosby

Part IV - Student Voices

Chapter 13: "Unsung, Underpaid, and Unafraid: Black Graduate Students'' Response To Academic and Social Anti-Blackness" - Marlon Bailey, Shaina Hall, Carly Coleman, and Nolan Krueger

Chapter 14: "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black" - Marlie Harris, Mercedes Holmes, Kuukuwa Koomson, and Brianna McBride

Chapter 15: "From Segregation and Disinclusion: The Anti-Black Experience of Graduate School" - Keoshia Harris and TaShara Williams

Read the press release to learn more about Making Black Lives Matter: Confronting Anti-Black Racism.