From Presence to Power

“As someone who has been involved in activism a good part of my life, he gave me a new way of thinking about the difference between visibility and power.”—Jane Fonda, actress and activist

“This book gives people the strategy and clarity they need to stop reacting and start winning.”—Angela Rye, legal analyst and political commentator

“Rashad Robinson is a generationally brilliant thinker and strategist, sharing inspiring, hard-earned wisdom on how to not just survive the present challenging environment, but to grab the reins and win. From Presence to Power is a step-by-step guide for everyone who wants to build and wield citizen power.”—Joy-Ann Reid, host and political commentator

“To transform the world for the good, we must study power. As one of the most impactful activist leaders of our time, Rashad Robinson has taken on power—corporate power, media power, racist power—and won time and again.”—Dr. Ibram Kendi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Chain of Ideas

“From Presence to Power is the handbook I wish I had when I first started organizing, and it’s the book I will keep close from this moment forward.”—Alicia Garza, author of The Purpose of Power and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter

“If you’ve ever despaired at the accelerating harms of the world around us and wished there was something you could do: this is the book for you.”—Ai-jen Poo, president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and executive director of Caring Across Generations

“Rashad Robinson has been leading successful campaigns for years, and now he has distilled all that learned experience into a crisp, clear, and compelling roadmap for others who want to learn how to build power and win.”—Annie Leonard, former executive director of Greenpeace (U.S.) and creator of Story of Stuff

“In From Presence to Power, Rashad names that gap with precision and shows how to close it: how to turn moments into the kind of power that actually changes the rules for workers and their families.”—April Verrett, president of Service Employees International Union

“How fortunate are we that such a champion of justice is letting us into his mind so that we can make history and not repeat it.”—Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of Dear America

“This is a strategically sophisticated book that teaches us how not to simply traffic in echoes and effects, but to be effective in our aims by amassing and then pulling the levers of real power.”—Michael Eric Dyson, sociologist, cultural critic, and New York Times-bestselling author of Long Time Coming

“I’ve been in movements all my life, and I know passion alone doesn’t win—power does. From Presence to Power is a powerful and necessary book that cuts through the illusion that visibility equals victory and offers a real framework for changing systems, not just reacting to them.”—Tamika Mallory, author of State of Emergency, co-organizer of the Women’s March, and social justice activist

“Rashad Robinson has literally written the book on power: what it means, how we leverage it, and how we can quit making the same mistakes.”—Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible

“Using Robinson’s principles for building power, and applying his engaging and incisive exercises to our own goals, we get a master class in real activism. This is the book to read for the fight ahead.”—Heather McGhee, New York Times bestselling author of The Sum of Us

“A book about winning and building power is a necessary tonic for the times when Donald Trump wields such power. This book is a must-read for anyone committed to winning structural change—not just momentary victories.”—Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU