As a youth I longed for a new story about race and place in America. My lifetime search yielded discoveries of ways to heal the wounds of racism, build equity, and bring people together to protect and restore our shared environments. 

The background image on
the book cover is a photo
montage by Keba Konte titled
“Bottoms Up.”

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Here’s a word from social change innovator and news commentator Van Jones, who wrote one of the forewords for Carl’s book. Van also has an important new book, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together.”

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Earth’s life-support systems are at risk from runaway growth leading to climate change and species loss. The nature of the city is changing radically, and it is now better understood as part of a metropolitan region with new problems, like inner-city gentrification. It is also a place where new strategies for alleviating poverty, creating opportunity, and building equity can emerge. Too many people are disconnected from the experience of belonging to a human community within the natural world. How can we bring forth the will to heal, restore, and repair the damage? We can start by widely sharing stories of challenges faced by our parents and ancestors and the contributions they made to American infrastructure, culture, and economy. This book is intended as an introduction to these narratives. May we listen to one another’s stories, particularly those of the most vulnerable among us, with open hearts.

 

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