Rebel Speak

"Through his work in the trenches as an artist, activist, and academic, Bryonn Bain has carved out a space over the past two decades as one of the most important voices of the twenty-first century. He exemplifies the power of the word as arguably the most effective weapon for social change and equality, and he wields it with a spirited conviction that moves everyone who hears his call."—Lolita Files, author of Child of God and CEO of Griot Initiative

"Rebel Speak is not just a book. It is not just Bryonn having the courage to speak truth to power, or just walking, talking, and living while Black. This is love in all its forms telling Law and Order they can't exist without Justice. Justice can't exist without Mercy. Mercy without Understanding. And Understanding teaches us to forgive each other while still being held accountable. Rebel Speak is time itself, capturing generations of people who against all odds dared to believe and triumphed!"—Nanon Williams, Death Row Survivor and Activist, Ramsey Unit Prison, Rosharon, Texas

"Bringing together critical race theory, oral history, and the prison reform/abolition movement, these dialogues allow the reader to hear the multiplicity of voices that have been at the forefront of this work. Anyone who is familiar with the genre and the theoretical foundations used will be duly impressed."—Miguel Martinez-Saenz, President, St. Francis College

"The beauty of Bain's engaging oral history is that these figures are able to emerge and claim the fullness of their space, their ideas, and their social contributions. His is the kind of textured writing that we need, the kind of writing that stays with you."—Eddie Bruce-Jones, Professor of Law and Deputy Dean, University of London, Birkbeck School of Law

"Bain's distinctive combination of artistic presence and intellectual gravitas comes across. This book stands out as a unique document that manages to communicate a vision of integrating scholarship with activism and art."—Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Lecturer of Political Sociology, University of Cambridge

"This powerful book combines the perspectives of elder activists like Harry Belafonte and Dolores Huerta with the perspectives of younger ones, to address issues of mass incarceration and racial violence by the police in new and profoundly important ways."—Pedro Noguera, Professor of Sociology and Dean, USC Rossier School of Education

"Shortly after producing the film Beat Street, in the years that followed, I grew frustrated with hip hop. The world needs to see how Bryonn carries the tradition of joining art and activism as an instrument for justice—at a time when the prison system has our communities in crisis."—Harry Belafonte, Artist and Activist

"A legend in the making!"—DJ Kool Herc, The Father of Hip Hop