After the death of Elijah McClain, his younger brother asked him one question. How do I not become the next hashtag? The question left Brian Buckmire speechless. Buckmire, a legal contributor for ABC News and former Brooklyn homicide public defender, searched for an answer for his young brother and countless Black youth who fear police violence.
Through interviews with attorneys, judges, court officers, and former clients, he concluded their sentiments and his own personal understandings into Come Home Safe, a youth-adult novel about two siblings navigating an experience of police brutality. Alongside Tamika Mallory and Rasheed Newson, Buckmire was one of the featured authors at We Gon’ Be Alright: Racism in America Post MAGA panel at the 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture on Saturday, July 1st, 2023.
Similar to Buckmire, Mallory’s writing process shares a familial aspect. When she began work on State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built, the activist had just moved to Kentucky with her parents and fellow activists to fight for Breonna Taylor.
“I was angry because the book was speaking to exactly what I was living in the moment,” said Mallory. “I was angry with black folks who were not waking up and doing what we needed them to do in that moment.”
For her, the book became a diary to transcribe her emotions while being in the midst of the Justice for Breonna Taylor movement. In the same vein, Rasheed Newson sought to use literature as a vessel to the story of a political activist, a story he believes would be unable to be on television.
A seasoned veteran in the industry, the executive producer of Bel-Air, knew the intrinsic power of literature. His book which follows the birth of a political activist in the mid 1980s during the fight for AIDS serves as a reminder of hope. The hope of Black people to never lose our style, our faith, and humor even in times of political turmoil and social regression.
The session closed with the author’s reflections of the recent Supreme Court rulings. Individually and collectively, they agreed on the need to practice solidarity, to allow the fear of being seen as “pro-Black” to deter Black people from standing in solidarity with local activists and organizations, and to understand your place in the movement. As the packed out audience and overflow erupted in thunderous applause, the message was clear. Although Black communities have been continuously attacked by unfair legislation and criminalized, our communities have always found a way to survive. Now is our time to thrive.