George Lakey Twin Cities Book Tour - Recap & Resources

A memoir of a Quaker activist and master storyteller on his involvement in struggles for peace, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, labor justice, and environment.

From his first arrest in the Civil Rights era to his most recent during a climate justice march at the age of 83, George Lakey has committed his life to a mission of building a better world through movements for justice. Lakey draws readers into the center of history-making events, telling often serious stories with playfulness and intimacy. In his memoir Lakey describes the personal, the political, and theoretical -- coming out as bisexual to his Quaker community while known as a church leader and family man, taking action against the war in Vietnam by delivering medical supplies through the naval blockade in the South China Sea, and applying his academic study of nonviolent resistance by creating tactics for direct action campaigns.

With tactics he learned as a young man facing violence in the streets and risking his life as an unarmed bodyguard for Sri Lankan human rights lawyers, Lakey shows readers how to find hope in even the darkest times through strategic, joyful activism.

George Lakey's life will be the subject of a new documentary film coming soon.

George Lakey will tell stories about the Earth Quaker Action Team, which he co-founded. EQAT (pronounced “equate”) won a significant victory in convincing PNC Bank to stop funding mountain-top removal as a coal-mining practice in West Virginia. It continues its nonviolent campaigning today, targeting Vanguard for its financial entanglements with fossil fuel industries.

These campaigns, including worship in bank lobbies, occasional civil disobedience, and lengthy walks across Pennsylvania, are grounded in Quaker tradition and values. George can dissect the campaigns, analyzing tactics and strategies and mistakes worth learning from. As both a scholar of nonviolence and an activist, he will explain the reasons it works and why sometimes it doesn’t.

From his first arrest in the Civil Rights era to his most recent during a climate justice march at the age of 83, George Lakey has committed his life to a mission of building a better world through movements for justice. Lakey's life and vast experience with nonviolent social change organizing reminds us how to find hope in even the darkest times through strategic, joyful activism. Through a panel conversation with local organizers, Lakey will guide us in an exploration of what it takes to organize successful campaigns that create environmental and climate justice in our community.

Organizer Nazir Khan will discuss the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table's campaign to shut down the HERC Trash Burner. Joe Vital will share insights from East Phillips Neighborhood Institute's campaign around the Rooftop Depot site.

How do we successfully work together across differences to fight for racial and economic justice? How does polarization create surprising new possibilities? How do we show up for one another and build power together without burning out by spreading ourselves too thin?

Join nonviolent activist, professor, and movement elder George Lakey and Director of Communications ISAIAH MN, Minister JaNaé Bates on September 28th as they discuss these questions and more. Historian Peter Rachleff will moderate this special event taking place as a part of George Lakey’s Dancing with History: A Life for Peace and Justice international book tour. George Lakey’s life and life and vast experience with nonviolent campaign organizing reminds us how to find hope in even the darkest times through strategic, joyful activism.

Good Trouble, the songleading duo made up of mixed Asian songleaders Liz Digitale Anderson and Conie Borchardt, will open the event with community singing that creates space for justice, fun, and healing.

Subtext Books will have copies of Dancing with History available for purchase at this event along with another of Lakey’s books, How We Win!  

The event will be followed by a book signing. Light refreshments provided.

ESFL is currently monitoring the rise in COVID. Although we are currently not requiring masking in the library, we encourage attendees to wear masks. Masks will be available at the library entrance.