Daniel Q. Gillion - The Loud Minority: Why Protests Matter in American Democracy

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From informal conversations on protests at political science and sociology conferences to the dinner table conversations of social movements with family members and close friends, this book is the product of many different voices that have been channeled through my raw passion to improve our understanding of American democracy. The journey I took in writing this book was long and arduous. Thus it was impossible to produce this book alone. There was a support group behind me that demanded my best, and who loved and encouraged me when my best was not enough.

I want to thank the Andrew Carnegie Foundation for providing me with the resources and time to write this book. As a Carnegie Fellow, I was introduced to a family of scholars who were passionate about addressing some of the worlds most pressing issues. The fellowship also provided me with a large platform to draw greater attention to my research efforts. Alongside the institutional support I received, I had an amazing team of undergraduates and graduates at the University of Pennsylvania that provided an invaluable contribution. I am grateful for the efforts of Ava Barzegar, Candida Alfaro, Victoria Brown, Karina Miranda, Gabrielle Jackson, Sophia Elliot, Danielle Guy, Jillian Jones, Bridget Amoako, Skyler Rankin, Acacia Overstreet, Ashley Gilmore, Luke Yamulla, Drisana Hughes, Stephen Chukwurah, Sarah Simon, Michael John, Cary Holley, Makhari Dysart, Kaiyla Banks, Trevor Nunez, Jennifer Hu, and Amber Mackey. Their engaging conversations and lived experiences were fundamental to the completion of this book.

Several individuals have served as mentors from afar, not only influencing my thought process with their own writings, but providing sage advice when I needed it most. I am eternally thankful to Laura Smith, Stephanie Heilman, Christopher Parker, Michael Dawson, Jane June, Zoltan Hajnal, Martin Gilens, Jim Stimson, Robert Shapiro, Andrea Campbell, Paula McClain, Christopher Wlezian, Vesla Weaver, Sophia Wallace, Megan Francis, Chris Zepeda-Milln, Matthew Platt, Dianne Pinderhughes, Marion Orr, and Sarah Soule.

There are a few individuals, however, who served as my mentors and nurtured my development in academia. The sound advice and counsel I received from these individuals not only drastically improved the ideas expressed in this book; their guidance also shaped my worldview and allowed me to find my own path. I have a clearer view of the world because I sit on the shoulders of these giants: Fredrick Harris, Claudine Gay, Jennifer Hochschild, Vince Hutchings, Valeria Sinclair Chapman, Frank Baumgartner, Tali Mendelberg, Richard Niemi, Taeku Lee, Rogers Smith, and Amy Gutmann.

In the end, though, this book was only made possible by the advice, comments, criticism, support, and love that was offered by my coauthor of life, my wife, Leah.

THE LOUD MINORITY