After the Protests Are Heard

Sharon D. Welch is Affiliate Faculty and Former Provost and Professor of Religion and Society at Meadville Lombard Theological School. She is author of numerous books, including A Feminist Ethic of Risk.

"After the Protests are Heard is one of the most important books of the decade for activists, social entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and anyone else that envisions a socially just and economically sustainable future." - Nonprofit Leadership Toolbox "Welch offers actionable responses to systemic injustice in this . . . expansive guide to the third wave of social justice... building what is right. Filled with innumerable examples of effective social action, this . . . important work will give the guidance social justiceminded readers are seeking." (Publishers Weekly) "Stresses progress and process rather than pie-in-the-sky goals that see protests dissipate when they are unrealized. . . More of a call to reason than a call to arms, the book offers hope in the face of great challenges." (Kirkus Reviews) "After the Protests Are Heard makes a luminous case for Sharon Welch's later-career emphasis on enacting a hopeful, constructive, and inclusive feminist progressivism. Like her, the book brims with good-spirited intelligence and a hard-won conviction that progressives must take ethical responsibility for the concrete consequences of their rhetoric and action." - Gary Dorrien, author of Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit and Imagining Democratic Socialism "This book addresses those with institutional power and influence, helping navigate obligations and opportunities to build communities that promote equality and respect. With Sharon Welch as our guide, we learn the nature of the challenges we confront, including the forces that distort our identities and values. But Welch also explores the specific strategies that are available and, indeed, already being pursued by creative activists to realize a better world. The book is extraordinary: a clear-eyed, theoretically informed, and engaging antidote and response to the authoritarian turn in contemporary politics." - George F. DeMartino, Professor,Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver "After the Protests are Heard goes beyond the reasons why social change is necessary right now and speaks to how it can be done. Dr. Welchs book covers the practicalities and pitfalls of affecting change and dispels the notion that saving the world is easy. It show us creative and innovative solutions and encourages us to improve upon and spread the good ideas." - Tamra Ryan, CEO, Women's Bean Project and author of The Third Law "Both visionary and pragmatic, presenting daunting challenges to meet lofty goals." (Cross Currents) "Starting with the premise that the Trump administration signaled not the death throes of white supremacy but the pangs of its rebirth, Sharon D. Welch calls on liberals and progressives to take responsibility to mitigate evil…. To resource her readers for informed, strategic, collaborative-minded, and responsible action, Welch covers multiple theories of social change—what has worked, what has not, and what can be learned… Her book is a timely resource for both the practical theological and religious studies classroom offering concrete models and theoretical accounts aimed at expanding the student and future leaders' imagination for civic engagement and collective action." - Xochitl Alvizo, California State University, Northridge (The Wabash Center Journal on Teaching)