Foreword, by Mira Jacob
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
Why We Write: Interrogating Our Motivations for Writing About Social Issues
· “Why I Write,” by George Orwell
· “Autobiographical Notes,” from Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin
· “Ellaji and Lakshmiji,” by Kavita Das
CHAPTER 2
How We Are All Connected: Understanding the Relationship Between the Writer, Reader, and Subject
· “Tramp,” by Kavita Das
· “Jyoti’s Rainbow,” by Kavita Das
· “Black and Blue,” by Garnette Cadogan
· “Football, Free on the Streets,” by Garnette Cadogan
CHAPTER 3
Diving In Deep or Casting Wide: Considering Context Versus Narrative to Shape Our Stories
· “Red Ink of Revisionist History,” by Kavita Das
· “Selective Perception of Disinformation,” by Kavita Das
· “Introduction: This Land,” from An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
· From “Fear” in Breathe: A Letter to My Sons, by Imani Perry
· “How Could I Write About Women Whose Existence Is Barely Acknowledged?” by Gaiutra Bahadur
CHAPTER 4
Writing from Outside In or Inside Out: Reporting, Personal Narrative, or a Hybrid Approach
· “COVID-19 Vaccine: What White Conservatives Can Learn from Black Americans,” by Kavita Das
· “A Virulent Privilege,” by Kavita Das
· “La Otra,” adapted from Ordinary Girls, by Jaquira Díaz
· “The School-to-Prison Pipeline Is Getting Worse for Black and Brown Girls,” by Jaquira Díaz
· “99 Years After the Tulsa Race Massacre, an Artist Reflects,” by Crystal Z Campbell
CHAPTER 5
Staking a Claim: Writing Opinion Pieces (Op-Eds)
· “The Anti-Vaxxer Threat amid a Pandemic,” by Kavita Das
· “Tolerance Has a Fatal Flaw. This Is the Solution,” by Kavita Das
· “Stories of Transracial Adoptees Must Be Heard—Even Uncomfortable Ones,” by Nicole Chung
· “The Specter of Caste in Silicon Valley,” by Yashica Dutt
CHAPTER 6
Are You the Right Storyteller for This Story?: Understanding Cultural Sensitivity and Avoiding Cultural Appropriation
· Introduction and Conclusion from White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue . . . and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation, by Lauren Michele Jackson
· “Who Gets to Write What?” by Kaitlyn Greenidge
· “How to Unlearn Everything: When It Comes to Writing the ‘Other,&rsrquo; What Questions Are We Not Asking?” by Alexander Chee
· “Who Gets to Write About Whom: Examining Authority, Authenticity, and Appropriation in Biography,” by Kavita Das
CHAPTER 7
Ripple Effects of Making Waves: Implications (Good and Bad) of Writing About Social Issues
· “Writers Shouldn’t Romanticize Rejection,” by Kavita Das
· “Recovering My Fifth Sense,” by Kavita Das
· “There Is No One Way,” by Alice Wong
· “Stepping on a Star,” from We Wear the Mask: 15 True Stories of Passing in America, by Gabrielle Bellot
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Recommended Resources
About Kavita Das, Author
About Mira Jacob, Foreword Writer
About the Contributors
Notes
Permissions
