On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope

I saw/heard DeRay McKesson speak at the Library Technology Conference in 2019 and was so impressed with his knowledge of statistics about policing and race, and his perspective on that subject, that I bought his book there. Reading On the Other Side of Freedom is different from hearing him speak–it is much less about statistics and how to interpret them, and much more like a memoir, a letter to fellow activists, and a history of the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests in Ferguson, MO after the murder of Michael Brown. At times it is meditative, making distinctions between faith and hope and explaining the importance of each and how they relate to each other in resisting a racist society. At times it is analytic, explaining how the use of Twitter gave the Ferguson protests a power that other protests hadn't had before. At times it is a memoir of McKesson's childhood and teenage years and how experiences he had then inform his thoughts about activism today. And at times there are statistics, duly footnoted.

Although this book has a little bit of everything, it does not meander or trail off and lose its way. It has a definite shape and purpose, and a firm, clear voice. It's really a delight to read, especially if you have activist tendencies yourself.

McKesson takes time to share the emotional reality that started his path for social justice and outlines the reason and logic for what social justice looks like. I didn't expect a “bash the system” book from a perspective of, “I don't know what I want but sure isn't this”. That being said, McKesson brings to light realities and truths I had not heard or read before that sheds bright light on some dark places that have tried to stay in the dark.

It is past time to make amends for the actions of the past and present. Being white and acknowledging that people of color have been discriminated against for years in subtle and systematic ways does not make us guilty of the sin, as is pointed out in the book. Acknowledgment can lead us to becoming accomplices with people of color to actively work to fix the broken parts of society so all have the same freedoms, the same access, and the same privileges without hesitation. I believe we cannot be a “Christian” country and cling to our own little kingdoms while others continue to inherit poverty and injustice.

Jesus came to heal the broken and lift up the down trodden. To be like him is to do likewise. As we do, we may find that all of us get a purer justice that is not focused on punishment first, but focused on keeping peace and protecting the freedom of all of our citizens.

I wish this wasn't a controversial topic. I wish this didn't get framed as black people versus police officers. I wish that creating policies to hold officers of the law to a high standard was applauded by all around. Imagine if surgeons didn't have to hold to a standard or could only be reviewed over the last six months. Would you want that person doing your surgery? The standard is to protect both the citizen and the officer. Just as it protects both patient and surgeon.

It's never too late to start caring about another person and what they are going through and struggling with.

“Hope is not magic, hope is work.” “If faith is our belief that our world will be better and hope our belief that it can be better, imagiination is what allows us to navigate between the two. to paint a picture of the future that we can touch, feel, bring into being.” Strongly recommend investing 3.5 of your hours (for the audibook, probably even shorter if you read it) to spend time with DeRay. He takes such complex ideas and makes them simple in an elegant way. Through his work he's honed his messages to get right to a topic's essense and then you'll want to sit and think and chew on them for a while. This was maybe the first audiobook I've listened to that I didn't speed up, because his natural talking rhythm is quick. I was also pausing throughout to take notes (for the mental chewing) on his many actionable ideas. He shares just enough of his personal story to enhance and humanize his message. Great especially in conversation with other memoirs of BLM activists.

This made me so sad and so angry but so hopeful.