Who We Are

A blistering exposé of how anti-Black racism has influenced the most essential cornerstones of American life — from the long history of the U.S. government deliberately preventing Black homeownership to the gross disparities in policing and punishment — from the founder of the Who We Are Project and former director of the ACLU and the Trone Center for Justice and Equality

Featuring a foreword by Tom Hanks

One of America’s darkest myths is that the abolition of slavery and the 1960s’ dismantling of legally enforced segregation policies created a racially equitable and just society. But in this illuminating work, Jeffery Robinson uncovers just how deeply anti-Black racism is still woven into the fabric of our nation. White supremacy fueled the country for over a century after the Civil War and is still deeply ingrained in our culture, and racist laws that were banned and deemed unconstitutional have been replaced by more covert new ones. Robinson argues if our country is to change for the better, we must confront this truth.

From where we live and where we go to school to our opportunities to vote and our relationship with law enforcement, Robinson reveals how anti-Black racism governs major areas of American life. He takes us on a dramatic journey through America’s past, chronicling our history from the first group of Africans who were captured and enslaved on American soil to the racist policies and practices that are still impacting our country today, reavealing how anti-Black racism is not just a series of isolated acts but an interconnected, long-standing system that reinforces itself. And this system is working exactly how it was intended. Robinson examines the consequences of property taxes being used to fund public schools after centuries of intentional racial segregation, the haunting legacy of Black codes and Jim Crow laws, the various strategies still being used today to inhibit Black people from voting, and how modern-day policing and flagrant disparities in punishment have created a system as close to slavery as possible.

Clear-eyed, explosive, and stirring, Who We Are is a searing correction of American history that shines a light on our country’s darkest stain, revealing who we are in an effort to heal our country and transform who we become.