We Are Like Those Who Dream

Illuminating speeches by famous black women that offer wisdom and clarity, solace and inspiration--curated and with personal essays by a leader whose "voice is going to be making a difference for years to come" (President Barack Obama)

Shirley Chisholm said, "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair." This book is a resource, an assemblage, a convocation, and a lighthouse.

Dedicated to the prophetic voices of black women, We Are Like Those Who Dream is an invitation for readers to engage with the galvanizing guidance of a fierce community that exists beyond definition and throughout history.

Black women have always been pivotal inspirers of transformative debate, and remain crucial carriers of change today. But what is often lost in textbooks or the public consciousness are the voices of the women themselves. This collection features speeches by pivotal figures like Audre Lorde, Oprah Winfrey, Maria W. Stewart, Nina Simone, Ida B. Wells, Shirley Chisholm, and Winnie Mandela, along with artwork by artists like Faith Ringgold and Amy Sherald. Brittany Packnett draws inspiration from these speeches in personal essays threaded throughout.

With wisdom, clarity, and conduction, We Are Like Those Who Dream monumentalizes the power of what has been spoken while leaving room to listen to what has yet to be said.