Protest - by Annie Leonard & Andre Carothers (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An excellent introduction to the power of public dissent." -- Kirkus

"If supporting grassroots activists taught us anything, it is that when enough individuals come together, it is possible to take on a system." -- Yvon Chouinard

Our right to peaceful protest is under attack, and we must act now!

Protest: Respect It Defend It Use It offers a powerful look at the role peaceful activism has played in advancing the public good--and shines a light on the urgent need to protect this democratic right. This is not a how-to guide. Rather, it is a celebration of what collective action can achieve, an invitation to be inspired, and a reminder that each of us has the capacity to make a difference.

Featuring more than 40 iconic campaigns from around the world, the book combines photos, artifacts, and memorable quotes to create a vivid testament to the power of public dissent. Guest essays from Jane Fonda, Tennessee Representative Justin Pearson, Dolores Huerta, Nemonte Nenquimo, and others reveal how protest shaped their own commitment to driving change. Through storytelling and first-hand reflection, readers are invited to witness, reflect, and engage in peaceful activism--right here, right now.

Rivers that don't catch fire. The freedom to marry whom we love. Clean air and water. Even weekends off. Peaceful protest--protected in the U.S., as in many countries, as a cornerstone of participatory democracy-- helped bring about each of these victories. Free speech, dissent, and public mobilization are essential tools for advancing so many causes, including environmental protection, workers' rights, human rights, self-determination, and climate, social, and racial justice.

Yet even as protest has delivered lasting progress--and perhaps because of it--the right to speak freely and organize is increasingly under threat. Crackdowns are no longer confined to authoritarian regimes; anti-protest sentiment is spreading across established democracies. Activists are being vilified, targeted, and even criminalized. In the U.S., anti-protest laws have been enacted in 49 states. SLAPP suits--meritless legal actions used to silence dissent--are on the rise. New legal concepts like "negligent protest" are being used to hold organizers liable for damages, while violent actions by anti-democratic forces are reframed or excused.

Published to coincide with the 250th anniversary of one of history's most consequential acts of protest--the signing of the Declaration of Independence--this book is an invitation. It invites readers to learn about the creativity, courage, and impact of peaceful protest, to be inspired by those who came before, and to recognize that this essential democratic right belongs to everyone--now more than ever.

Review Quotes

"This would be a perfect introduction to protesting for budding activists, but those who have been involved with social justice movements will find much to love, as well. An excellent introduction to the power of public dissent." -- Kirkus

"Annie Leonard and André Carothers's insightful political science book Protest details the effects of protests throughout human history, into the present. Through compelling photographs and descriptive historical accounts, a wide range of protests are covered, beginning with Benjamin Lay's denouncement of the Quakers in 1738 and ending with the 2025 Faith in Action protest, in which faith leaders joined immigrants at their court appearances. Covering civil disobedience across the globe, the book argues that protesting is necessary for a healthy democracy, that there are many different ways to protest, and that protest itself protects access to free speech in the future." -- Foreword Reviews

"At a time when civic space is under pressure, Protest offers a reminder of how central dissent has been to political development. It stops short of claiming protest is sufficient, while suggesting many changes would have taken a different course without it. Ultimately, Protest functions chiefly as a prompt. It asks what protest has achieved, and what might be lost if the space for it continues to shrink. The question is left open." --Mongabay

About the Author

Annie Leonard is a lifelong activist who has protested on multiple continents over many years. She spent seventeen years with Greenpeace US, including serving as Executive Director from 2014 to 2023; created The Story of Stuff film, book, and organization; co-launched the Jane Fonda Climate PAC; and campaigned against the international trade in hazardous waste and technologies around the world. Annie speaks and writes frequently about environmental and democracy issues, focusing on pollution, waste, consumerism, climate, and activism. She has appeared in numerous media, has testified before Congress, and has received a number of awards for her work, including an honorary degree from Vermont Law School and inclusion in Time magazine's Heroes of the Environment.

André Carothers is an activist, writer, and organizer. André has been involved in campaigns and protests on issues of climate change, human rights, environmental protection, and nuclear disarmament for over four decades. He worked for Greenpeace US for thirteen years, including serving on the board of directors. He is the cofounder of the Rockwood Leadership Institute, a training organization for activists, and works as an organizational development consultant and coach for leaders in the social change sector. He has served as an adviser and board member of numerous organizations, including International Rivers, the Center for Environmental Health, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Furthur Foundation, Rainforest Action Network, and the Story of Stuff Project.

Shepard Fairey is a contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, and founder of OBEY Clothing and creative agency Studio Number One. In 1989, while at Rhode Island School of Design studying for his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration, Shepard Fairey created the "Andre the Giant has a Posse" sticker that later evolved into the OBEY GIANT art campaign. In 2008, his portrait of then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama became an internationally recognized emblem of hope. He is known for the "We The People" campaign debuted during the 2017 Women's Marches worldwide. Fairey has painted more than 140 public murals, become one of the most sought-after and provocative artists globally, and changed the way people converse about art and view the urban landscape.

Robert B. Reich, emeritus professor at UC Berkeley and former US Secretary of Labor, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Coming Up Short. He cofounded Inequality Media and is a founding editor of The American Prospect. He cocreated the documentaries Inequality for All and Saving Capitalism and is featured in a new documentary The Last Class. He writes daily at robertreich.substack.com.

Activist Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than twenty-five books on feminism, climate, history, popular power, social change, wandering and walking, hope and catastrophe. She writes regularly for The Guardian, serves on the board of the climate groups Oil Change International and Third Act, and recently launched the newsletter MeditationsInAnEmergency.com.

Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. is an activist, minister, US Air Force veteran, and the president of Hip Hop Caucus, which brings young people into the civic process and supports communities impacted most profoundly by injustice. After Hurricane Katrina he established the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign to advocate for the rights of survivors. He also works to bridge the gap between communities of color and environmental issue advocacy.

Dolores Huerta is the president and founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. She is one of the most influential labor activists of the twentieth century. In 1962 she cofounded the National Farm Workers Association (a predecessor of the United Farm Workers of America) with Cesar Chavez. She was the driving force behind nationwide grape and other boycotts, which led to successful union contracts and improved working conditions. Among her many honors, Huerta received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Jane Fonda is an award-winning actor, climate activist, and lifelong advocate. With Greenpeace US, she established Fire Drill Fridays, mobilizing thousands of people to take action at weekly climate demonstrations on Capitol Hill. Her book What Can I Do? My Path from Climate Despair to Action empowers activists with tools to combat climate change, broadening the movement for a more just and sustainable future.

Peter Staley is a long-time AIDS and gay rights activist, first as a member of ACT UP New York, then as the founding director of TAG, the Treatment Action Group. He was a leading subject in the Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague. More recently, Staley cofounded PrEP4All, an HIV prevention advocacy group. His memoir, Never Silent: ACT UP and My Life in Activism, was published in 2021

Favianna Rodriguez is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and pleasure activist based in Oakland, California. Her work explores migration, gender justice, climate change, racial equity, and sexual freedom--centering joy, healing, and liberation while challenging dominant myths and cultural norms. Discover her collaborations, public art, and cultural organizing at favianna.com.

Nemonte Nenquimo is an activist, author, and member of Ecuador's Waorani Nation. She cofounded the Indigenous led Ceibo Alliance and Amazon Frontlines, which works to strengthen Indigenous guardianship of the Amazon and protect the forest itself. In 2020, she was in the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Maurice Mitchell is a political strategist and the national director of the Working Families Party.

Born in 2003, Isra Hirsi has been an environmental activist since high school. She cofounded and serves as the co-executive director of the US Youth Climate Strike, the American arm of a global youth climate change movement. In 2020, she was included in Fortune magazine's "40 Under 40" rising leaders to watch in government and politics, among other accolades.

Sandra Steingraber is a biologist, author, cancer survivor, anti-fracking activist, and advocate for the human right to a toxin-free environment. Her books include Living Downstream: An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment. The Sierra Club has called Steingraber "the new Rachel Carson."

Justin J. Pearson is Tennessee State Representative for District 86 in Memphis and cofounder of Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP). He was expelled from the Tennessee House for protesting in favor of gun law reforms.

Nnimmo Bassey is a Nigerian environmental activist, author, architect, and poet. Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, he also sits on the steering committee of Oilwatch International. Previously he chaired Friends of the Earth International and was executive director of Nigeria's Environmental Rights Action. His books include To Cook a Continent: Destructive Extraction and the Climate Crisis in Africa and I See the Invisible, a collection of poems.