The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart

“You cannot start a movement from a hashtag. Hashtags do not start movements—people do.” 

This quote firmly establishes one of the book’s core ideas. Over the years, Garza has repeatedly been asked about how to popularize hashtags and how to use them as a tool for change. Garza’s experiences have proven to her repeatedly that hashtags themselves do not truly force change. Rather, organizations and passionate people who come together do.

“For most of us, whatever we call our politics—leftist, feminist, anti-racist—dignity and survival are our core concerns.”

Dignity and survival are at the root of Garza’s politics. As a queer Black woman, she has experienced how each of those aspects of her identity are undervalued and underrepresented in current society. Her goal as an activist and organizer is to restore dignity to these groups and create a world where their survival is no longer challenged daily.

“By the time I came into the world, the revolution that many had believed was right around the corner had disintegrated.”

Garza demonstrates an early interest in civil right movements and a knowledge of Black history. However, she laments that during her time, the revolutionary gains of the 1960s had largely been rolled back or unenforced. The next generation has not followed in their predecessor’s path.