In this handbook, I offer twelve steps on how to practice abolition in your everyday life. Abolition isn't just about dismantling harmful systems, but how we treat each other and how we interact with the world as individuals. I truly believe that applying these steps to our own lives will help us build the world we deserve: one that is rooted in dignity and collective care. Join me on this abolitionist journey!

An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World

More on An Abolitionist’s Handbook

Praise for An Abolitionist’s Handbook

  • "If we’re serious about real change... we’re going to need a handbook."

    —Glamour

  • “...Cullors uses the past to make sense of our present world, and leaves a trail of insights for readers...”

    —Hollywood Reporter

  • "Her guidance on how to achieve personal and social transformation is enlightening. Readers will be inspired to take action."

    ―Publishers Weekly

  • "Recommended for all readers interested in social change activism, particularly prison reform and the defund-the-police movement."

    ―Library Journal

  • "Cullors offers a wide range of strategies for activists who share her view that you can’t always fix a broken system."

    ―Kirkus

I have been called a “terrorist,” and “a threat to America,” but I believe that sharing personal stories can lead to imperative change. This book is more than just my personal journey, but a reflection on humanity. I recall what it was like to grow up under state violence and how it brought me to the work I do today. I invite you to a deeper look at how protest in the interest of the most vulnerable comes from love.

When They Call You a Terrorist

Praise for When They Call You a Terrorist

  • “Impassioned, direct, inspiring and unsparing.”

    ―Entertainment Weekly

  • "...a call to action for readers to change a culture that allows for violence against people of color."

    ―TIME Magazine, named one of the Best Memoirs of 2018 So Far

  • “This book is a must-read for all of us.”

    ―Michelle Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The New Jim Crow

  • "Strikingly beautiful… Patrisse Cullors' story is a moral example to the nation."

    ―Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America