We Will Shoot Back

Armed Resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement

By: Akinyele Omowale Umoja

Narrated by: David Sadzin

A bold and exciting historical narrative of the armed resistance of Black soldiers of the Mississippi Freedom Movement

In We Will Shoot Back: Armed Resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement, Akinyele Omowale Umoja argues that armed resistance was critical to the Southern freedom struggle and the dismantling of segregation and Black disenfranchisement. Intimidation and fear were central to the system of oppression in most of the Deep South. To overcome the system of segregation, Black people had to overcome fear to present a significant challenge to White domination. As the civil rights movement developed, armed self-defense and resistance became a significant means by which the descendants of enslaved Africans overturned fear and intimidation and developed different political and social relationships between Black and White Mississippians.

This riveting historical narrative reconstructs the armed resistance of Black activists, their challenge of racist terrorism, and their fight for human rights.

©2013 New York University (P)2021 Tantor

Necessary reading

I learned so much from this book & my view of the southern freedom movement feels more complete.

Gripping history adds key insights

Now I fully understand! Tactical Nonviolence is what we learn about. But lt also. took black people defending themselves and Nonviolent Demonstrators when local state and federal authorities refused to. This book pulls. no punches addressing all use of force by black communities and activists even when it e was intimidation of back people in order to make economic boycotts successful . A must read if you want to understand how the Civil Rights movement actually went down in the South.

Informative and Insightful

Thank you for putting together this work which brought clarity and awareness to my personal ignorance and false general beliefs of the civil rights movement outside of the non violent POV. This book sheds lights on courage, strategic thought and methodical change management throughout. I encourage anyone seeking more while researching the African American experience to read this book.

The half that hasn’t been told.

Well read, with information that’s not taught by our black educators in schools. So glad I got this book. Tells the story of how the ones who came before me weren’t cowards.

Great deep dive

I have some new heroes. Danville, VA was mentioned. Love to learn more about Danville