We Have Not Been Moved: Resisting Racism and Militarism in 21st Century America

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Produced in collaboration with the War Resisters League, We Have Not Been Moved is a compendium addressing the two leading pillars of US Empire. Inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who called for a 'true revolution of values' against the racism, militarism and materialism which he saw as the heart of a society 'approaching spiritual death', this book examines the strategic and tactical possibilities of radical transformation through revolutionary nonviolence.

Reviews

"When we sang out 'We Shall Not Be Moved' in Montgomery and Selma, we were committed to our unshakeable unity against segregation and violence. This important book continues in that struggle--suggesting ways in which we need to do better, and actions we must take against war and continued racism today. If the human race is still here in 2111, the War Resisters League will be one of the reasons why!"
--Pete Seeger, folk singer and activist

"The rich and still evolving tradition of revolutionary pacifism, effectively sampled in these thoughtful and penetrating essays, offers the best hope we have for overcoming threats that are imminent and grim, and for moving on to create a society that is more just and free. These outstanding contributions should be carefully pondered, and taken to heart as a call for action."
--Noam Chomsky, professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist

"One of the biggest stumbling blocks to building a successful movement against war has been our inability to cross racial and cultural lines, bridging the divides created and maintained by the powers that be. Since the 1960s, there have been some hopeful signs--in grassroots groups and in educational efforts--but the road forward is still long and difficult. The contributors to We Have Not Been Moved, with extraordinary scope and vision, have given us an indispensable tool to fight oppression, resist war and injustice, and create powerful new coalitions for lasting social change. This volume should be required reading--alongside of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States--in every sociology and political science class."
--Connie Hogarth, life-long peace and justice activist and inspiration for Manhattanville College's Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action; cofounder and former executive director of the Westchester People's Action Coalition

"While it is nearly impossible to agree, or to disagree, with the totality of this or any other book, I applaud the ways in which We Have Not Been Moved helps us sharpen our understanding of these moral and social imperatives. This book is in the best tradition of civil and human rights movements and a welcome addition to the literature on these crucial issues."
--Congressman Luis V. Gutirrez, (D-IL)

"In an era of rampant militarism, growing anti-Islamic sentiment and racist violence, the essays in We Have Not Been Moved provide us with urgently needed analytical frameworks and on-the-ground strategies for challenging structural injustice. The wide range of voices in this collection, spanning generations and social movements, remind us of the interconnectedness of our struggles against racism, militarism, violence, and injustice, and collectively urge us to build a unified, principled movement to resist intensified empire."
--Angela Y. Davis, author, activist, and professor emerita, History of Consciousness, UC Santa Cruz

Author Bio

Elizabeth Betita Martnez is a Chicana feminist and a longtime community organizer, activist, and educator. She is the author of 500 Years of Chicana Women's History, 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures, and De Colores Means All of Us: Latina Views for a Multi-Colored Century. She is the cofounder and director of the Institute for MultiRacial Justice. She lives in San Francisco. Matt Meyer is an educator-activist, the founding cochair of the Peace and Justice Studies Association, and the former chair of the Consortium on Peace Research, Education and Development (COPRED) and War Resisters League. He is the author of Time Is Tight: Transformative Education in Eritrea, South Africa, and the USA, coauthor of Guns and Gandhi in Africa: Pan-African Insights on Nonviolence, Armed Struggle and Liberation, and editor of Let Freedom Ring: A Collection of Documents from the Movements to Free U.S. Political Prisoners. He lives in Brooklyn. Mandy Carter is a longtime human rights and nonviolent activist who has worked with the War Resisters League, the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, DC, the National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum, and Southerners on New Ground. She lives in Durham, North Carolina. Alice Walker is a poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist, anthologist, teacher, editor, publisher, womanist and activist. Her 1982 book, The Color Purple, earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (the first African American woman writer to receive this award) and the National Book Award. Walker's awards and fellowships include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a residency at Yaddo, and the 2010 Lennon/Ono Grant for Peace. Sonia Sanchez is a poet and the author of Homegirls and Handgrenades.