Author Talk: Call and Response | Veronica Chambers and Jennifer Harlan in conversation with Nancy Redd

Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter is a broad and powerful exploration of the history of Black Lives Matter told through photographs, quotes, and informative text by New York Times best-selling authors Veronica Chambers and Jennifer Harlan.

In 2020, the world watched history being made in the streets of America. The rallying cry of Black Lives Matter captured global attention and spurred thousands of people of all ages, races, genders, and backgrounds to stand up for major progressive social reform. The widespread protests, rooted in the call-and-response tradition of the Black community, were fueled by a growing understanding for many that systemic racism undermines the very nature of democracy. But where did this movement begin? And why, after years of work by everyday people, did the world finally begin to take notice?

Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter covers the rise of Black Lives Matter and how it has been shaped by U.S. history. From the founders of the movement—Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi—to the watershed moments that challenged people to take action, this book tells the story of how a hashtag became a movement. It follows the activists and organizers on their journeys, examines some of the ways that protest has been fundamental to American history, and shows how marches, rallies, and demonstrations can be vital tools for making meaningful change.

In this essential history, New York Times editors Veronica Chambers and Jennifer Harlan explore Black Lives Matter through striking photographs, in-depth reporting, stunning visual timelines and graphics, and compelling quotes. Call and Response is perfect for young readers who need an introduction to this impactful movement—and for any reader looking for concrete information on this timely topic.

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Veronica Chambers is a prolific author, best known for her critically acclaimed memoir Mama’s Girl. She coauthored the award-winning memoir Yes, Chef with chef Marcus Samuelsson, as well as Samuelsson’s young-adult memoir Make It Messy, and has collaborated on four New York Times bestsellers, most recently 32 Yolks, which she cowrote with chef Eric Ripert. She has been a senior editor at the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and Glamour. Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, she writes often about her Afro-Latina heritage. She speaks, reads, and writes Spanish, but she is truly fluent in Spanglish. She is currently a John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University. Her upcoming novel is The Go-Between. Jennifer Harlan is a staff editor on the Special Projects desk at The New York Times. She is a co-author of the New York Times bestseller Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote, which was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, the New York Public Library, and others and selected as a 2020 honor book by the Jane Addams Peace Association. A graduate of Brown University, she is from Louisville, Kentucky, and currently resides in Brooklyn. When she is not writing about the unusual histories of roller derby, private eyes, or women's suffrage for The Times, she can usually be found baking pies or searching for her next great karaoke song.

Nancy Redd is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an award-winning on-air host, and Wirecutter's beauty and health product expert at The New York Times. Her debut picture book, BEDTIME BONNET, is about Black nighttime hair rituals and was chosen by the American Library Association Black Caucus as a "Best of the Best" children’s book for 2020 and called “the best children’s book of 2020” by The Grio. Her upcoming picture book, THE REAL SANTA (Oct 27th), is the inclusive and magical Black Santa Christmas story she longed for growing up, and has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. More about Nancy: http://www.nancyredd.com