Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Books

    Book Review: “Resist! How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America” by Rita Omokha

    Terri SchlichenmeyerBy Terri SchlichenmeyerDecember 27, 2024No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Throughout history, when decisions were needed, the answer has often been “no.”

    No, certain people don’t get the same education as others. No, there is no such thing as equality. No, voting can be denied and no, the laws are different, depending on the color of one’s skin. And in the new book, “Resist!” by Rita Omokha, no, those things have not been accepted meekly.

    In 1995, after she and her brothers traveled from their native Nigeria to join their mother at her new home in the South Bronx, young Rita Omokha’s eyes were opened. She quickly understood that the color of her skin – which was “synonymous with endless striving and a pursuit of excellence” in Nigeria – was “so problematic in America.”

    That became a bigger matter to Omokha later, fifteen years after her brother was deported: she “saw” him in George Floyd, and it shook her. Troubled, she traveled America on a “pilgrimage for understanding [her] Blackness…”. She began to think about the “Black young people across America” who hadn’t been or wouldn’t be quiet about racism any longer.

    She starts this collection of stories with Ella Josephine Baker, whose parents and grandparents modeled activism and who, because of her own student activism, would be “crowned the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” Baker, in fact, was the woman who formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, in 1960.

    Nine teenagers, known as the Scottsboro Nine were wrongly arrested for raping two white women in 1931 and were all released, thanks to the determination of white lawyer-allies who were affiliated with the International Labor Defense and the outrage of students on campuses around America. Students refused to let a “Gentleman’s Agreement” pass when it came to sports and equality in 1940. Barbara Johns demanded equal education under the law in Virginia in

    1951. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale formed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in 1966. And after Trayvon Martin and George Floyd were killed, students used the internet as a new form of fighting for justice.

    No doubt, by now, you’ve read a lot of books about activism. There are many of them out there, and they’re pretty hard to miss. With that in mind, there are reasons not to miss “Resist!”

    You’ll find the main one by looking between the lines and in each chapter’s opening.

    There, author Rita Omokha weaves her personal story in with that of activists at different times through the decades, matching her experiences with history and making the whole timeline even more relevant. In doing so, the point of view she offers – that of a woman who wasn’t totally raised in an atmosphere filled with racism, who wasn’t immersed in it her whole life – lets these historical accounts land with more impact.

    This book is for people who love history or a good, short biography, but it’s also excellent reading for anyone who sees a need for protest or action and questions the status quo. If that’s the case, then “Resist!” may be the answer.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Terri Schlichenmeyer

    Related Posts

    “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: A Veteran’s Memoir” by Khadijah Queen

    August 12, 2025

    You need a great story this summer. You’ll find four of them here.

    July 16, 2025

    “The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery” by Clarence A. Haynes

    June 30, 2025

    “That’s How They Get You: An Unruly Anthology of Black American Humor,” edited by Damon Young

    June 21, 2025

    Fatherhood in All Its Forms: Books That Honor the Heart of a Dad

    June 11, 2025

    “The Juneteenth Alphabet” by Andrea Underwood Petifer, illustrated by Ana Latese

    June 3, 2025

    Comments are closed.

    Advertisement
    Business

    Sprouts Farmers Market Hosts Hiring Event Ahead of Mt. Juliet Opening

    August 28, 2025

    NBCC MINORITY BUSINESS OF THE WEEK: Flying Dress

    August 20, 2025

    Toon appointed new role at MMCV

    August 16, 2025
    1 2 3 … 386 Next
    Education
    Education

    Belmont’s Massey College of Business Awards $10,000 Scholarships to All 2025 NELAS Winners

    By adminSeptember 1, 2025

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 28, 2025) – The Jack C. Massey College of Business at Belmont University…

    TSU President Tucker Appoints Three New Leaders to Advance Transformational Change Agenda

    August 28, 2025

    Tennessee Announces 2025-26 Teacher of the Year

    August 25, 2025

    U of M shutters Multicultural Affairs Office, begins dismantling DEI to comply with new Tennessee law

    August 23, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/