Promise and a Way of Life

Becky Thompson is associate professor of sociology at Simmons College. She is the author of Mothering without a Compass (2000) and A Hunger So Wide and So Deep (1994), both published by Minnesota.

"Drawing on the stories of living people rather than on archives, Thompson finds the origins of white anti-racism not in the abolition movement of the early 1800s but in the civil rights movement of the 1950s South. . . . For readers looking for an anti-racist interpretation of the feminist movement, the chapter on Multiracial Feminism is a must-read. . . . By showing the various ways in which white people have become invested in anti-racist struggle, Thompson opens up a whole new world of ideas and practices located as ‘white’ but oriented toward social justice. For those of us stranded in the great white North, this book will be indispensable."-Women’s Review of Books"Becky Thompson weaves interviews with white antiracist activists and theoretical analyses of racial domination to create a social history of white, American antiracist activism from the 1950s to the present. Thompson rewrites the standard history of the women’s movement. The histories of her admirable activists provide some practical inspiration."-NWSA Journal"A thorough history that can offer valuable guidance to contemporary activists."-Bitch Magazine"A Promise and a Way of Life, which relies primarily on a series of interviews with 39 anti-racist activists across a spectrum of progressive social movements, explores the variety of ways these individuals have worked-publicly and privately-to oppose racism and create multi-racial communities. It highlights the conflicts, successes, and limitations of these efforts in the past and attempts to draw lessons for current and future political activism. A Promise and a Way of Life is a valuable addition to the burgeoning history of post-war political history as well as a practical guide for white activists still concerned with racial justice. At every stage, Thomspson provides a fresh approach to old subjects and a new spin on well-worn historical assumptions. By highlighting the under-appreciated contributions of white activists to movements for racial justice over four decades, Thompson has enriched our understanding of progressive social change. Consequently, this book should be of use to a diverse array of scholars and activists alike and deserves a place in intermediate-level college courses."-Labour/Le Travail"Becky Thompson tells the life histories of 30 antiracist activists from the past half-century. An engaging, narrative style make this academic text accessible to the general reader."-Reference and Research Book News"Becky Thompson shows how our lives are shaped by our experience of the surrounding world, and how we in turn shape that world. A Promise and a Way of Life is thorough and well documented, interesting, and informative."-Quaker Life"Descriptive and passionate, A Promise and a Way of Life is useful in offering revealing portraits of white antiracist activists."-CHOICE"Here is a fascinating collective portrait of an extraordinary group of white people who fought racism, often at great risk. Becky Thompson traces the background, the thinking, the actions of these people over a period of fifty years, as they participated in the most important social movements of our time. Her book is a valuable addition to the history of social movements in the 20th century."-Howard Zinn"A Promise and a Way of Life is a first: a detailed and highly engaging history of white people who have spent their lives fighting white supremacy, instead of embracing or ignoring it. Thompson provides dynamic new ways to understand the links among seemingly divergent movements such as Black Power and multiracial feminism. A Promise and a Way of Life is a groundbreaking, inspiring achievement."-Barbara Smith, author of The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender, and Freedom"Becky Thompson shares the stories of radical and revolutionary white antiracist activists and political prisoners. Marilyn Buck, Ray Luc Levasseur, and David Gilbert are among the visionaries struggling to for a just and humane world whose voices are found in this book, important reading for those critiquing and confronting racial and state dominance."-Joy James, author of Resisting State Violence and editor of States of Confinement: Policing, Detention and Prisons"Becky Thompson’s A Promise and a Way of Life is a labor of love. She finds and interviews an incredible range of white anti-racist activists. Then she carefully and passionately constructs a history of the last half century of anti-racist activism within a larger narrative of social and political movements led by people of color. Thompson documents the way of life of white people who commit their lives to work for racial justice and thus helps to move us closer to the ‘promise’ of new and more humane ways of being. I found it incredibly helpful."-Mab Segrest, author of Memoirs of a Race Traitor