From Presence to Power

Why do some fights for justice stall while others succeed? A seasoned strategist reveals the difference between presence and power—and offers everyday people tools to turn outrage into outcomes that stick.

Over two decades on the frontlines of social change in leadership roles at GLAAD and Color Of Change, Rashad Robinson helped steer campaigns that challenged media companies, forced tech giants to the table, and made prosecutors answer to their communities. He’s seen what works and what doesn’t—and he argues that too often we confuse visibility with power. Marches, hashtags, and headlines (what he calls presence) create urgency, but they’re not enough. Real progress comes when we change the rules (his definition of power) and shift the incentives that shape our world.

This book offers a set of clear ideas, stories, and tools to help everyday people build real leverage in systems designed to prevent them from doing so. Robinson exposes the myths that keep us stuck, lifts the curtain on key battles from the last two decades, and gives readers ways to play a role. At a time when follower counts are mistaken for impact, Robinson offers something better: a hopeful, practical guide to playing the long game and winning the kind of change we can all feel.