53 pages • 1 hour read
Alicia GarzaThe Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Understanding Power
The main theme of The Purpose of Power, as the title indicates, is to understand the ways and spaces in which power operates. Power is immaterial, yet it exercises very real influence on people’s lives and manifests in concrete ways. Garza argues that it is important to understand how power functions: Once people become aware that 1% of the American population holds enough power to save or ruin the lives of the remaining 99%, the discriminatory structure of society becomes evident and the need to fight back even more so.
Currently and historically, power is concentrated in the hands of white people, especially white men, at the detriment of all other populations. This inequality normalizes microaggressions against Black people and other marginalized groups. Growing up, Garza realized that her white peers romanticized Black culture as “renegade” and “cool,” even while Black people were punished for these same traits, whether real or imagined. People who inhabit intersectional spaces—that is, their identity exists at the junction of multiple marginalized groups—feel this discrimination is even more strongly. For example, being a queer Black woman, Garza finds that society defaults to questioning her accomplishments rather than celebrating them. This is done either by discouraging her from taking credit or reassigning her accomplishments to a male colleague.
Understanding what power is and how it operates allows people to better make sense of the miseries and challenges they face. It encourages people not to accept the status quo, but to actively question it. Garza argues that educating people about political theories—such as intersectionality, identity politics, and hegemony—will help them visualize the profoundly unequal societal distribution of power. Garza believes understanding power will push people toward seeking change and a better future.
Movements as Vehicles for Change
Due to the imbalanced power distribution in American society, Black communities still face discrimination, police violence, and unfair policies established by their white counterparts. While the civil rights movement of the 60s saw huge gains, the 70s and 80s saw a rise in reactionist right-wing policies that sought to dismantle or roll back these social and legislative changes. As a result, Black communities remain disproportionately affected by violence, racism, and the lack of effective social programs. While these problems are caused by the concentration of power in the hands of white people, Black communities are also severely under-organized, and their powerlessness is in part due to this lack of unity. Garza therefore repeatedly emphasizes movements as a vehicle for change: When dedicated people come together in masses to fight for a cause, their number and indivisible stance builds power.
Movements are composed of organizations, which in turn are built upon bases of members. They are vehicles of change because they have a clear vision for the future and dedicated members who fight for their goals. Garza argues that this is what differentiate movements from hashtags: Movements are enduring and galvanizing, whereas hashtags don’t guarantee anyone’s dedication or participation. Some movements are leader-full (like the Black Lives Matter Global Network) and strategically maximize their efficiency. Progressive movements, as Garza envisions them, are intersectional and politically inclusive. This is because their goal is to enact change rather than develop cliques, and movements are most powerful when large.
Garza argues that, given American society’s imbalanced power distribution, movements are the most effective tool for change. This is because movements can create unity within the 99% of people at the bottom to fight against the discriminatory regulations created by the 1% at the top. Large-scale societal changes will not happen on their own; they require organizations, cohesion, and strategy. History has proven that decision makers are unwilling to distribute their power; the rise of the right-wing movement immediately after the successes of the Black Liberation movement testifies to this fact. In other words, fighting for a future where Black communities are valued, visible, and powerful requires creating strong movements and institutions that actively fight for their rights.
The Necessity of Discomfort when Building Movements
Garza repeatedly emphasizes creating large and powerful movements. However, she noticed during her time organizing that radical left-wing groups tend to shrink rather than expand. This is because inviting people with differing politics creates tensions among members. Radical politics, especially, are not widely adopted. To avoid such malaise, some organizations (and individuals) have taken to including only like-minded people within their social spheres, creating what Garza has dubbed “cliques.”
While Garza understands wanting to seek out like-minded people and comfortable spaces, she disagrees with this practice. Movements cannot be powerful when they are small; their strength comes from numbers, which requires mainstream support. In other words, politically radical organizations and movements should include people who are less radical or who think differently, despite the discomfort this might bring. Garza reasons that restructuring society is incredibly difficult when those who hold power zealously guard it, and movements can succeed only by building power. Thus, it is necessary to include the masses, whose politics might differ from the organization but who will lend their power on specific issues.
Garza also explains that diversity in opinion encourages dialogue. In Garza’s experience knocking door-to-door, intimate settings allow people to bring up uncomfortable topics and discuss them honestly. This allows people to interrogate their own preconceived assumptions while increasing their political awareness. Garza also believes that organizers owe it to themselves to feel some discomfort while fighting for their visions.
