Surviving 2020 is an achievement second only to overcoming one’s most tragic personal crisis. Kevin Powell’s “When We Free The World,” a poignant compilation of essays that boldly take on the fundamental trials of 2020, does so while offering hope.
Ongoing tumultuous moments left many feeling without refuge as a global pandemic mandated that even those most vulnerable be isolated from loved ones. In its essay, “A letter to my 9-year-old friend during the coronavirus pandemic,” When We Free The World humbly suggests maintaining a victorious mindset to combat COVID-19.
“There will be more deaths, more tears, more depression, this I know,” Powell writes. “There will be more false starts and false promises from some of our leaders, this I know. But for those of us who will survive this, like you, like me, we must commit everything we can, to do better, to be better, to love and honor every human being, to love and honor our earth, to be the consistent kindness and healing and forgiveness and love we need to see, for the rest of our lives.”
Kindness, compassion, and unity are attributes Powell urges advocates of anti-racism and Black Lives Matter to adopt.
“True White progressives understand that if White Americans are serious about change, are serious about ending racism, then you do not practice or embrace racism, White supremacy, White privilege, against Black people or people of color in any form, including using the legal system to hurt or take them down when they are essentially good people,” he stresses.
In taking a stand against sexism in the essay “Between Russell Simmons and The World and Oprah,” Powell urges more men to join the fight in ways including re-thinking and re-defining manhood. He notes that a “humble, genuine apology” to women is a good place to start.
Inspired by the poetic dream montage of Langston Hughes, the prophetic letter sermon of James Baldwin, and Bobby Kennedy’s raw and naked eulogy speech for Dr. King, Powell has created a fearless literary and political manifesto that is a townhall meeting for an America seemingly at war with its own soul.
Covered by The New York Times, NPR, and Good Morning America, When We Free The World is available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle, and Apple Books.