Why Didn't We Riot?

Starred review from August 15, 2020
A Black journalist gives Trump supporters a powerful lesson in history and truth. "Trumpland," writes Bailey, "includes places throughout the United States where white people overwhelmingly support Trump in spite of--or maybe because of--his open bigotry and racism. They are places where black people have for decades been forced to swallow racist bullshit in order to respect the wishes and wants and feelings of racists, as well as those who excuse and apologize for the racists." Black denizens of Trumpland have felt compelled to forgive and respect those who believe that the "illusion of civility" is more important than racial equality. The narrative is an incisive "corrective to banal commentary" on race in America from those who "scold people of color for...complaining about Trump too much." Through a combination of poignant memoir and social and cultural analysis, Bailey tackles of range of hot topics as well as his own prior complacency. A masterful storyteller, the author introduces us to a White police officer who regrets not shooting a Black man in the head during what began as a routine traffic stop. Due to his decision not to shoot, he was derided by his fellow officers and lost a promotion. "The comfort level of cops," Bailey observes, "is more important than black life." From Dylan Roof's slaughter of nine Black parishioners in a Charleston church to the horror of racial bias in the criminal justice system, Bailey pulls no punches, and he debunks the myth that White working-class "economic angst"--rather than racism and White supremacy--propelled Trump into office. Furthermore, White Evangelical Christians' continued support of Trump is fueled by their "political and moral hypocrisy" and disregard for the well-beings of Black and brown communities. By no fault of Bailey's, die-hard Trumplandians aren't likely to be swayed; conscientious Americans will come away from this book further enraged by the pernicious, persistent pattern of racial injustice in this country. Brilliant, searing, and surprisingly vulnerable.

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August 31, 2020
In this impassioned if uneven essay collection, South Carolina journalist Bailey (My Brother Moochie) examines racial inequality and injustice in America from the perspective of a Black man living in a place “where white people overwhelmingly support Trump in spite of—or maybe because of—his open bigotry and racism.” Bailey castigates white conservatives and liberals for expecting African Americans to be “forever-forgiving victims, no matter the circumstances,” and suggests that efforts by the Black community to build “racial reconciliation bridges” have backfired, leading to symbolic gestures, but little substantive change. In the book’s strongest pieces, Bailey reports on harrowing examples of police brutality and racial injustice from his home state, including the paralyzing by “heavily armed” police officers of a Black man suspected of selling “two small quantities of marijuana,” and false witness testimony, police deception, and “unethical” prosecutorial conduct in the case of another African-American man serving 15 years for armed robbery. Other essays raise troubling issues, such as higher rates of chronic disease among African Americans and the impact of internalized racism, yet they lack focus. Still, this a bracing and timely survey of why Black Americans are “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Starred review from November 1, 2020

In this much-needed book, journalist Bailey (My Brother Moochie) recounts the stark history of racism and violence Black Americans live with every day, and what happens when efforts to speak out are largely met with resistance or aren't taken seriously. Bailey reveals how racial stereotypes are perpetuated within society and still repeated in the media far too often, despite the increased support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Recounting his own experiences, Bailey shares how he was asked to tone down the narrative of his newspaper reporting on police brutality while expanding upon how Black Americans are mistreated in the criminal justice system, often leading to wrongful convictions. Powerful chapters continue to expose the stark differences between President Obama speaking out against police violence, and white men using anger to their advantage, especially for political gains. In an illuminating chapter, Bailey also reveals the connections between white supremacy and Evangelical Christianity in United States, making a case for the removal of Confederate monuments that have served as symbols of hate. VERDICT An essential and powerful call for action asking us all to examine the role our silence plays in upholding white supremacy--Venessa Hughes, Denver

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