Imagine freedom Transforming pain into political and spiritual power

Journalist and theologian Tesfamariam debuts with a bold vision for Black millennials living in Africa and across the diaspora. Grounding her analysis in liberation theology and Pan-Africanism, she argues that, to "break free" from the control of racist systems and cycles of violence, young Black people must work to "decolonize" their minds and hearts, a process that can be achieved through a reimagining of community, especially a closer relationship between Africans and African Americans, as well as other Black diaspora communities. Much of her focus centers around a return to privileging the communal rather than the individual, with biting critiques of the ways in which popular culture promotes a harmful individualism. In her view, celebrity obsession feeds capitalism and "toxic productivity"; social media is "white supremacy's media arm" (though she recognizes that it also plays a significant role in activism); and hip-hop, while a powerful venue for Black expression, leans too hard into materialism and misogyny. Drawing on her life story as a dual citizen and resident of both Eritrea and the South Bronx (she narrates her family's involvement in freedom fights in Eritrea), the author urges Black Americans to learn more about and connect with those living in Africa. Tesfamariam's prose blends rigorous research befitting her academic background, the emotional punch of autobiography, and the raw impact of preaching. This has the power to move readers. (Mar.)

A Black minister and liberation theologian instructs readers how "to decolonize our conceptions of faith, love, and self-determination in our quest toward liberation." "We are not free in this country, which is why we struggle so much to be free in our own bodies, relationships, and homes," writes Tesfamariam, an Eritrean immigrant raised in the South Bronx who became the youngest editor-in-chief in the history of the Washington Informer. For Black Americans, that "unfreedom" takes many forms, including the daily corrosion of self-worth and dignity, as well as the blatant barrage of systematic racism. As a person of Christian faith, the author divides her work into three parts--Resilience, Resistance, and Redemption--"inspired by the scriptural account of the children of Israel journeying through Egypt (a site of trauma), the wilderness (a site of rebellion), and the Promised Land (a site of divine fulfillment)." She writes that even as we are caught up in the daily grind of capitalism, we can maintain a focus on Eden, or a place free of oppression and strife. For many people, this place is precolonial Africa, a past place that "grants us the power to govern ourselves and, in some cases, own land." Coming from a war-torn country, the author envisions "an Africa and Black America that have yet to be actualized," and she writes affectingly about intergenerational trauma, police brutality--caused trauma, and healing as a "sustained, collective journey" rather than an arduous solo battle, as championed in American myths. Tesfamariam takes on the media as "an arm of white supremacy" and delves authoritatively into the history of Pan-Africanism. Her sense of building a "beloved community" begins with a recognition of the significance of Black women and the importance of cherishing healthy models of love and family. Tesfamariam offers a unique, astute perspective on racial and spiritual issues in the U.S. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.