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

The Introduction reveals Garza’s process and reasoning for writing The Purpose of Power. Although the book was initially supposed to be the origin story of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, Garza’s pen quickly took her in an entirely different direction. Her story began with her mother, the first point of reference for Garza’s understanding of the world.

The Purpose of Power is a retelling of Garza’s journey as an organizer, from her earlier experiences as a local organizer to her reaching international prominence with the BLM movement. It serves the dual purpose of documenting the lessons Garza learned along the way and providing an idea of of what movements can achieve amid social crisis.

Garza underlines the fundamental misconception about movements: They are not born out of hashtags but out of people’s collective and repeated choice to come together. A movement’s beginning is very hard to trace. Movements ebb and flow like “waves” rather than flickering on and off like “light switches” (14); while they are more visible at some points than others, they are constantly in motion. Garza defines movements as inherited: They are the fruit of long-lasting commitment from people whose survival depends on them.