Andre Henry - All the White Friends I Couldnt Keep : Hope--and Hard Pills to Swallow--About Fighting for Black Lives

Poignant, urgent, and spot-onIn a narrative that is part memoir, part manifesto, and part how-to, Henry brilliantly weaves together his encounters with anti-Blackness and his political awakening with powerful observations about how nonviolent struggle can confront and transform racism. Dont miss this profoundly important book.

Erica Chenoweth, author of Civil Resistance

As a queer-, Black-, woman-identifying American who has lost many white friends since my own personal racial and political awakening, this book made me feel seen and gave language to that peculiar and silent heartbreak Ive experienced.

Tina Strawn, co-host of Speaking of Racism

Andre Henry offers up his whole heart in this compelling mix of memoir and manifesto, which clicks the necessity of revolution into clarity like a new pair of glasses. All the White Friends I Couldnt Keep is essential antiracist reading.

Lauren Duca, author of How to Start a Revolution

All the White Friends I Couldnt Keep combines personal stories with cultural reflection and a dash of history to create a book that unlocks the complex and makes it understandable. From his journey as a Black man in the South to his journey of living life in a Black mans body while the headlines and the country roil, Henry makes a compelling argument for the truth-telling power of anger and the extraordinary response of nonviolence to racism. Its accessible for those new to the racial-justice conversation, but so deep and nuanced that it provokes veterans of the movement to deeper reflection.

Nikki Toyama-Szeto, executive director, Christians for Social Action

An incredibly generous bookAndre Henry rips aside the veil and gives the reader a look at his journey in what is one of the most vulnerable and open books Ive ever read. He takes us from his childhood in the shadow of Stone Mountain and American white supremacy to his present-day fight for racial justice and revolution. He weaves in and out of his own story, our national story, and the great thinkers that helped him become a freedom fighter. The whole time he brings the reader along with a gentleness and kindness that is sure to move and change everyone it reaches without pulling a single punch.

Joshua Potash, teacher and organizer

The powers that bind us are not simply out there in the structures of society, but also inside us in the myths we inherit. Those shared stories shape us, whatever the color of our skin. But Andre Henry has given us all a gift by inviting us along to see and hear what it means for a Black man in America to break free from the lies of whiteness. Follow him to freedom.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of Revolution of Values

Andre Henry has given us a gift of authenticity, of meaningful challenge, and of a great unburdening: he offers stunning insights on what we must release in the pursuit of liberation, so that we may labor toward radical change while remaining rooted in love and wholeness. Pay attention to himhe will surely emerge as one of the greater voices of our time.

Raquel Saraswati, diversity, equity, and inclusion expert and Philadelphia NOW Woman of the Year

Andre Henry is a student of what works, and he has done the work to banish white supremacys spiritualities, strategies, and subtle psychologies that demand, It has to be this way. Andre writes like he sings; he tells the truth, transmutes pain, and makes your body move to an exodus beat.

Jarrod McKenna, social-change educator and co-founder of InVerse Podcast

All the White Friends I Couldnt Keep is an insightful, thoughtful, horrifying, frustrating, and ultimately validating look into the impact of being Black in white spaces. It is a must-read for anyone who is coping with navigating faith and friendship in the age of antiracism.

Ally Henny, antiracist commentator and public theologian

Dont you dare put this book down. Learning from Andre Henry is a gift. Prepare to be enraged and enlightened, reprimanded for your complacency and redeemed by responding to the call to action. This book is for you. Dont you dare put this book down.

Rev. Robert W. Lee, author of A Sin by Any Other Name

Dear Reader,

My friend told me, You dont write a book to express yourself. You write a book because you care about your people. In that spirit, I need to alert you to something about the book in your hands: this wont be an easy read.

This book is the story of a political shift in my work and my life as an artist, triggered by the movement for Black lives over the last decade and the lessons Ive learned through that awakening about the struggle for racial justice. The story of that awakening is punctuated by several lethal encounters between Black Americans and the police. This book recounts several stories of Black people victimized by police violence as well as the secondary trauma I experienced in witnessing or hearing about their deaths. These things were difficult to relive in the writing of this book, and Im certain they will be hard to read.

Ive made my best effort to retell the stories of some of the Black people weve mourned in the Black Lives Matter era without sensationalizing or unnecessarily going into the gory details. Nevertheless, its important to me that you make an informed decision about reading the contents of this book. If you do continue, I hope that by the end of this read, youll feel that Ive cared for you well in this.

At the same time, this book is not all grief and trauma. Hope and joy have become important to me as Ive engaged in the movement for racial justice, and Ive given special attention to those as well. So be assured that this journey ends with joy.

Ive recounted the events in these pages to the best of my ability, but I ask for your patience and forgiveness for those places where I may not remember the granular details of some events. In my effort to protect the identities of the white friends I couldnt keep, Ive changed their names and other details about them that might make them identifiable. Throughout the production of this writing, Ive relied a lot on my catalog of original music to organize my thoughts. Ive included excerpts from three of my most relevant tracks to organize this journey through my story. Each of these songs came to me during the intense time of grief and political awakening I write about in these chapters.