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IMAGINE FREEDOM
A social activist, journalist, public theologian, and international speaker who has become a powerful and brilliant voice of her generation offers a bold path to liberation and healing for people of African descent struggling in the shadows of the American Dream.
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About Imagine Freedom
The United States is at a critical juncture in its history. Not since the 1960s has the nation been so racially divided. White supremacy remains America’s Achilles’ heel—a moral failure that haunts us and holds us back from being the great nation we profess. For centuries, people of African descent have endured unimaginable hatred and discrimination which has manifested in pain and trauma passed from generation to generation. To break free from this historical cycle of suffering and be truly free at last, Black and brown people must reimagine themselves, our communities, this country, and our relationship with Africa.
Weaving storytelling, socioeconomic analysis, and cultural criticism with the spiritual and political threads of liberation theology and Pan-Africanism, Imagine Freedom empowers us to begin the difficult but necessary work of decolonizing our minds and overcoming the lies we have been told about ourselves for centuries. Sobering and inspiring, filled with despair and hope, Rahiel Tesfamariam dares us to see the world through a larger historical and global lens— to understand how our quests for freedom and healing are intrinsically connected to our past, present, and future. By widening our vision, we discover new ways of imagining self, community, nation, and world, and most importantly, a new way to achieve the freedom that has been too long denied.
PRAISE FOR IMAGINE FREEDOM
“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.” —Publishers Weekly
“Tesfamariam offers a unique, astute perspective on racial and spiritual issues in the U.S.“ —Kirkus Reviews
“Imagine Freedom proves Tesfamariam is a searing sage and a sublime griot who inspires us to imagine a noble present and a beautiful future. This brilliant book shines ancestral wisdom in the deep shadows of contemporary struggle to light our embrace of revolutionary change. She blesses us as she breathes new hope into spiritual warfare against social injustice and political despair. Behold a millennial prophet who speaks truth in love to our age and who blazes a path for the millennium to come!”
—Michael Eric Dyson, Vanderbilt University
“From Eritrea to Wakanda to Palestine to the church pew, Imagine Freedom reminds us of the interconnectedness of all those oppressed—our pain and our refusal to be erased. A book that demands unapologetic truth-telling as we excavate our histories and durable hope, as we expand our collective imagination for healing. On the journey to liberation, Tesfamariam is a dauntless and honest guide.”
—Cole Arthur Riley, creator of Black Liturgies
“Rahiel Tesfamariam is one of the grand love warriors and freedom fighters of her generation. This powerful and truthful book lays bare her prophetic Christian witness, as thinker, writer, mother, and activist. Don’t miss it.”
—Cornel West, author of Race Matters
“What the world needs is in the pages of Imagine Freedom. Delivered in the unique, soul-stirring way that only Rahiel can share. What she has gifted the movement fills me with hope and excitement.”
—Ayọ Tometi, cocreator of #BlackLivesMatter
“Tesfamariam has devoted her life to global liberation struggles and spiritual awakening. With her characteristic grace, soul, and fire, she invites us to dream our world anew.”
—Imani Perry, National Book Award winner and MacArthur Fellow
“Healing, freedom, a global imagination, and love stand at the heart of Tesfamariam’s powerful vision. Imagine Freedom is a testament of faith from the voice of a generation that calls us to collective dreaming.”
—Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Princeton University
“Our collective trauma, Tesfamariam argues, has not immobilized us. Rather, it has been the stony road we traveled and transformed along the way. We feel, think, and create from a place of catastrophe—the same place from which we heal, build, and dream. Imagine Freedom illuminates the path to liberation.”
—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination
“Imagine Freedom is a deep dive into trauma. The reader emerges cleansed, renewed, and transformed. It is a balm for the angst we feel living in a world of war, chaos, and indifference to our pain and the pain of others. Read it, gift it, and let’s use it to collectively move forward with greater intention and imagination.”
—Medea Benjamin, cofounder of CODEPINK
“Tesfamariam’s poetic and prophetic voice brilliantly surveys the fractured American social and spiritual landscape to help us all reimagine freedom, dignity, and human thriving. Part spiritual reflection, part memoir and Baldwin-esque essay, this thoughtful and beautiful publication will be quoted, studied, and referenced by future generations.”
—Otis Moss III, senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ
“Imagine Freedom confronts global anti-Blackness with a poetic narration of a theo-political ethics that aims to nourish Black life. Tesfamariam gives us poignant analysis on Black activism, an urgent plea for renewed links between Africa and America, and a compelling theological vision. Her unique journey across continents, faith, and the academy deftly tracks hip-hop, media, and social movements. Both love letter and prayer, this book is exquisite food for the mind and sustenance for the soul!”
—Andre C. Willis, Brown University
“In this inspired appeal, Tesfamariam gracefully argues for the urgency of enacting a love-driven spirit and politics now. Not only to help heal Black people from the harm done, but as the foundation for building the future we want.”
—Tricia Rose, author of Metaracism
“As a feminist theologian, Imagine Freedom is the seminal work of our generation. Tesfamariam’s voice reads like fire. Her words are as healing as they are transformational. This is the book I both refer to and recommend for anyone seeking to know true power.”
—Meggan Watterson, author of Mary Magdalene Revealed
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