From abolitionists to suffragists and centuries of anti-war efforts, the United States is arguably a country founded by and built on top of protest.
In her recent book “A Protest History of the United States,” CUNY professor Gloria J. Browne-Marshall highlights 500 years of resistance movements in the U.S., starting long before independence up to the present day.
“Protesting has been crucial to this country's development since before the country was even established, and it continues to be so,” Browne-Marshall told KCUR’s Up To Date. “We are a country built on protests. The Declaration of Independence is a protest document.”
Browne-Marshall, a Kansas City native, is returning for an event in March at Rainy Day Books. She believes that protesting is essentially an “investment” in the future of the country.
“(We have) the rights we have today (because) the power of protest gave us those rights. They were on paper, but to make them a reality, we needed the power of protest. It's an investment in the future generations," she said.
"The reason why you and I are able to do what we're doing right now is because our ancestors and generations before them fought for these rights. We have to do the same thing for the future. We have to invest in people who will never know our names.”
- Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, professor and activist, author of "A Protest History of the United States"
Event: Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, "A Protest History of the United States," 7 p.m., Thursday, March 5 at Rainy Day Books, 2706 W 53rd St, Fairway, Kansas 66205. Tickets are available on the Rainy Day Books website.
