Review of Be A Revolution: How Everyday People are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—and How You Can, Too by Ijeoma Oluo

Sometimes I feel like my life has been steeped in theory over practice. When I was finishing my undergraduate studies, several professors recommend I apply to grad school. I was like, “????” How did they expect me to conduct research in education without actually having the experience of educating? (The ones wanting me to do math research, I get, but that is a whole other conversation.) No, as much as I loved university, after five years, I was ready to get out into the world. And I try my best, in my own little way in my small classroom, to make some change. But I could do a lot better—anyway, more on that later. You’re here for a review of Be a Revolution, and a review you will get.

Ijeoma Oluo has set out to write something different from So You Want to Talk About Race or Mediocre. Whereas those were a combination of history and cultural manifestos, Be a Revolution takes the manifesto and makes it more of a manual. Oluo examines racism on a current-day structural level. Each chapter covers a different, yet intersecting, topic, with a brief overview by Oluo before she dives into the true gems: spotlights—case studies, if you will—of individual activists and revolutionaries. From names I recognized (Chris Smalls, Feminist Jones, Tarana Burke) to ones I haven’t, each of these interviewees shares their real, hands-on experience of organizing, advocating, and fighting for change in their communities and the wider world.

As my introduction hinted, Be a Revolution is not a theory book. Oluo mentions elements of theory, of course, but this is meant to be a very practical text about how to create change. Each chapter ends with succinct, actionable bullet points, suggestions ranging from what you can do at your workplace to how you can join or create community initiatives.

As I read, I found myself thinking of Harsha Walia and Undoing Border Imperialism. That book was a mixture of theory, praxis, and art … yet there was also a lot in there that emphasized on-the-ground, localized change. And this is what has me reflecting in a very personal way, for this is the journey I am on in my thirties: the reluctant acceptance that the biggest change often happens on the smallest scale. It’s reluctant in the sense that I am a curmudgeonly introvert, and the idea of local organizing scares me because it’s in person, often among strangers, oh no! The idea that I’m making a difference by talking via text on the internet—as I am ironically doing now—is much more comforting. Although there are many cases where digital activism has measurable impact, the truth is that most of us armchair warriors aren’t making that difference.

It all comes back, Oluo emphasizes here, to building community and building capacity. This is something—and I am obviously generalizing here—that Black Americans and other racialized communities have held onto while many white Americans and predominantly white communities have embraced a more naked individualist approach. This self-reliance has been marketed to white people in the form of surveillance—Ring cameras, anyone?—and fear—don’t trust your neighbour, don’t let your kids go out alone, don’t give that person money, etc. It’s notable that the handful of white interviewees in this book buck that trend—often because they grew up or spent significant time in racialized communities.

Be a Revolution tackles big issues with small-scale solutions in a way that feels actionable and achievable. It’s something we need in a time of fatalism—especially online. On the other hand, Oluo doesn’t shy away from pointing out the challenges inherent in this work. Whether it’s the burn out and trauma that comes with the territory or the backlash and retaliation that some activists have encountered, Oluo lets all of it come through in how she chronicles their efforts. The work is hard; the struggle is real.

The chapter on education was especially tough for me, an educator, to read. There’s so much in there that feels familiar. It’s also telling when Oluo relates how many people in the audience of educators she was speaking to were not white. So often, including in education, us white people don’t show up. We leave the work to those who are already experiencing the brunt of this oppression on a daily basis. I whine here about how exhausted I am because, at the end of the day, this is my space to do that, and if you aren’t interested in a white girl whining, I totally understand if you nope out from my reviews. Yet I can also recognize how my day-to-day experience of the system is light-years away from the day-to-day experience of my colleagues of colour and how unfair it is we tacitly expect them to do the heavy lifting of dismantling that system.

So this is my perspective as a white reader of this book: we need to do better. Now, here I go again, pontificating from my couch. I would love to tell you this book inspired me to gete out there and join a local organization, but that would be a lie. Look, I am exhausted. Nothing materially is going to change today or the next day. But what I can say is that Be the Revolution is the latest in a long line of learning I’m doing that is moving the needle for me. In recent years, I have joined my union’s local bargaining team. It’s terrifying, but I finally understood that I was not going to singlehandedly mess things up. I think, for a long time, being in community and organizing felt like it meant I had to be in a position of leadership. I’m not comfortable with that; I don’t feel like a leader. What I am learning is that sometimes being in community just means showing up one day, one time. And then maybe another time. You don’t have to take all the responsibility on your shoulders (says the Virgo eldest daughter who does just that every day, lol).

But—and this is key—you need to take on some of the responsibility.

And when we do, Oluo assures us, real change happens. This is a book that brims with optimism even as it discusses hard times. Be a Revolution is exactly what I wanted when I picked it up: real, tangible, practical stories about how we can go from a world of theory to a world of action. Let’s go.