Books by Barbara Ransby

The first biography of the bold, principled, and fiercely independent woman who defied convention to make her own mark on the world.

In the wake of the murder of teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the exoneration of his killer, three black women activists launched a hashtag and social media platform, Black Lives Matter, which would become the rubric for a larger movement. This book offers an overview of Black Lives Matter and explores the possible future of the movement.

Barbara Ransby chronicles Ella Baker's long political career as an organizer, intellectual and teacher, from her early experiences in depression-era Harlem to the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. She paints a picture of the African American fight for justice and its intersections with progressive struggles worldwide in the 20th century.