The Instigators - by Atima Omara (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A top Democratic Party strategist and media contributor offers a bold and urgent reminder that young Black women hold the key to saving our democracy and building a truly multi-racial future that benefits all Americans.

Agitator. Troublemaker. Motivator. Initiator. Instigator.

"How can we build a truly inclusive multi-racial democracy?" For Atima Omara, the answer is The Instigators--a name she has given to a demographic of Black women between the ages of 18 and 45. These women are uniquely equipped to save American democracy. They didn't ask for this ability, she argues. It was forced on them because racism and sexism have made them the most marginalized group in American politics. We can all benefit from their strategic know-how as we rebuild our society.

Black women have always been the most relentless instigators for change--building a democracy for all. Omara draws on her political knowledge and expertise, as well as history, to examine how they have responded to failed strategic decisions by movement leaders and the modern Democratic Party in previous elections as a context for the present. She also provides actionable recommendations to organizers, donors, candidates, strategists, political party leaders, that everyday people can use in their communities to build an inclusive democracy that endures beyond one election cycle.

The Instigators is at once an urgent political guide, historical exploration, and a poignant memoir that pulls from Omara's two decades of work in Democratic politics and the progressive movement as an elected Democratic Party leader, movement organizer, former candidate, gubernatorial aide, campaign staff to candidates at the national, state, and local level; and now political strategist. Powerful, insightful, and practical, it is imperative reading for everyone eager to protect and rebuild our democracy and create a better tomorrow for all.

Review Quotes

"This book is a love letter to the Black women who refuse to wait their turn, who organize in the shadows, and who quietly - and sometimes loudly - save American democracy over and over again. As someone who has spent years watching moms, volunteers, young organizers, and first-time candidates change what's possible in our politics, this story feels both deeply familiar and urgently necessary. Atima Omara names and honors the women whose history is so often erased, while showing how their strategies, courage, and community-rooted leadership are the blueprint for winning the fights in front of us now. The Instigators is more than a history of Black women's political power; it is a practical, hopeful field guide for anyone ready to trade cynicism for organizing and despair for action." - Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action, Author of Fired Up: How To Turn Your Spark Into A Flame and Come Alive At Any Age, New York Times & USA Today Best Seller
"Atima Omara's brilliant examination of the known and unknown ways Black women have been crucial to preserving our precious democracy is urgent, riveting, and intellectually sound. This is essential reading, particularly in these precarious times." - April Ryan, author of Black Women Will Save the World: An Anthem
"Atima Omara's bold and timely book underscores Black women's central role in the ongoing fight to build an inclusive democracy in the United States. Informed by decades of experience and a multitude of examples from history, The Instigators recognizes that young Black women possess the necessary tools, skills, and knowledge to strengthen this nation--a project they have inherited from their forebears. The Instigators is filled with vital lessons for those ready to listen." - Keisha N. Blain, author of Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights and co-editor of #1 New York Times Bestseller, Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African-America 1619-2019