We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World

We Are Meant to Rise is a collection of essays and poems by Indigenous writers and writers of color from Minnesota that reflect on the traumas of 2020,including the COVID-19 pandemic,the murder of George Floyd,and the uprisings for justice. The collection showcases the variety of BIPOC writers in Minnesota and features contributions from authors with international reputations and newly emerging voices.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 14 December 2021
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

A remarkable and diverse collection of voices on the American experience of the past year and beyond, from Indigenous writers and writers of color in Minnesota.

In this profound collection, Indigenous writers and writers of color bear witness to one of the most unsettling years in the history of the United States. Essays and poems vividly reflect and comment on the traumas we endured in 2020, beginning with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, deepened by the blatant murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the uprisings that immersed our city into the epicenter of passionate, worldwide demands for justice.

In inspired and incisive writing, these contributors speak unvarnished truths not only to the original and pernicious racism threaded through the American experience but also to the deeply personal, in essays about family, loss, food culture, economic security, and mental health. Their call and response are united here to rise and be heard.

We Are Meant to Rise showcases the astonishing variety of BIPOC writers in Minnesota. From authors with international reputations to newly emerging voices, it features people from many cultures, including Indigenous Dakota and Anishinaabe, African American, Hmong, Somali, Afghani, Lebanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Mexican, transracial adoptees, mixed race, and LGBTQ+ perspectives. Most of the contributors have participated in More Than a Single Story, a popular and insightful conversation series in Minneapolis that features Indigenous and people of color speaking on what most concerns their communities.

We Are Meant to Rise meets the events of the day, the year, the centuries before, again and again, with powerful testament to the intrinsic and unique value of the human voice.

Weight: 304g
Dimension: 210 x 138 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517912215