Nonfiction

The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto

The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto

  • Downloads：1674
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-22 17:21:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Charles M. Blow
  • ISBN：0062914677
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Colin Cox ，

Walter Lee Younger decides to buy and occupy the house in Clybourne Park， a predominately white neighborhood。 This is a moment of profound consequence in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun。 This moment occurs near the play's end when Walter Lee rejects a lucrative offer from Mr。 Lindner， a representative of the white neighborhood in question， to buy the house in Clybourne Park。 Instead， Walter says: "[W]e have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us b Walter Lee Younger decides to buy and occupy the house in Clybourne Park， a predominately white neighborhood。 This is a moment of profound consequence in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun。 This moment occurs near the play's end when Walter Lee rejects a lucrative offer from Mr。 Lindner， a representative of the white neighborhood in question， to buy the house in Clybourne Park。 Instead， Walter says: "[W]e have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick。 We don't want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes， and we will try to be good neighbors。 And that's all we got to say about that。 We don't want your money。" Even though Walter claims this is not a political move （"We don't want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes"）， he must understand that it is。 To be Black in America is always and irrevocably political。 To be Black and occupy space in America is always and irrevocably political。 This is not， however， to suggest that Black people possess a distinct sense of political subjectivity。 Instead， as Frank B。 Wilderson III and other afro-pessimist scholars claim， white hegemonic culture codes Blackness as violence， death， and loss personified。 As Wilderson III writes， "Blacks do not function as political subjects; instead， our flesh and energies are instrumentalized。" Wilderson III continues， "A Black radical agenda is terrifying to most people on the Left because it emanates from a condition of suffering for which there is no imaginable strategy for redress—no narrative of redemption。" When Wilderson III claims "no narrative of redemption" exists for Black people， he simply means， "Human Life is dependent on Black death for its existence and conceptual coherence。 There is no World without Blacks， yet there are no Blacks who are in the World。" The sense of contradiction is clear; Blackness is a systemic necessity expressed as utter negativity。 It is both positive or affirmative （i。e。， necessary or constitutive） and negative （i。e。， failure or death）。 But for Wilderson III， this sense of contradiction runs deeper。 We are not a collection of living beings。 Instead， the lived status of white hegemonic culture has coupled with it a deep and unabiding death。 This is to say， Black death constitutes white life， and as Wilderson III argues， there is no place for Black people to return to。 There is no place to retrieve what was lost。 However， Charles M。 Blow's proposition in The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto attempts to find a place for Black people: the American South。 He writes， "as many descendants of the Great Migration as possible should return to the South from which their ancestors fled。 They should do so with moral and political intentionality" （31）。 Admittedly， Blow's proposition is an interesting one。 However， Blow's notion of Black Southern reintegration works within a particular humanist， capitalist framework。 This is not to suggest that Blow is naive and idealistic。 If anything， his proposition is not imaginative enough。 But perhaps Blow's Southern reintegration proposal is a necessary partial step， much in the way socialism is the necessary precursor to communism in Marxist thought。 And to his credit， Blow persuasively argues that the American South is a space for and by Black people， despite what Confederate monuments might lead us to think。 He writes， "It is impossible to be a proud Black person in America and to be ashamed of the South， to be averse to the South， to consider Southern Black culture inferior and wanting" （208）。 I enjoyed The Devil You Know。 It is not simply a jeremiad for Black Southern reintegration。 Rather， The Devil You Know has a fair amount of intelligent， if uncited， information about America's history and， in particular， Southern Black history。 。。。more

Mark ，

Probably 2。5 stars。 One of the main points of the book is that black people should migrate back to the south so they can create a political block that will advocate for black people。 I'm not so sure it will work that way but at least he is putting an idea forward。 Probably 2。5 stars。 One of the main points of the book is that black people should migrate back to the south so they can create a political block that will advocate for black people。 I'm not so sure it will work that way but at least he is putting an idea forward。 。。。more

James Schisler ，

An incredibly thought provoking proposal that ended up being very compelling to me。 Blow argues that Black Americans should reverse the Great Migration and move back to the deep south， to build nexuses of Black political power and social capital。 Blow's analysis that all political power really runs through the states rings true and lines up with most political analysts today。 The argument that Black people should move to the south is a bit less typical， but when I took a step back， it made perfe An incredibly thought provoking proposal that ended up being very compelling to me。 Blow argues that Black Americans should reverse the Great Migration and move back to the deep south， to build nexuses of Black political power and social capital。 Blow's analysis that all political power really runs through the states rings true and lines up with most political analysts today。 The argument that Black people should move to the south is a bit less typical， but when I took a step back， it made perfect sense。 There is a deeply compelling idea here， and I hope it comes to fruition。I was struck by how much of Blow's experience resonated with me， a very white boy from a rural area who moved into a destination city for college and stuck around。 The nature of safety and the feelings of comfort are very different， and I can't help but wonder if there is a rural aspect to the southern experience Blow discusses。Thisnwas a fascinating read that boldly presents a different framework for progress， a truly radical proposal that still colors in the lines， so to speak。 This is something to keep an eye on， and to hope for。 。。。more

Umar Lee ，

As a non Black American I'm not gonna offer a deep review of this book as my opinion on these matters is really of no value I'll just praise this book for three things。 1。 Correctly noting that the protests after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 quickly escalated from being about Black Lives to being about white spectacle。 Blow mentions Portland and that is certainly one example。 The more comical examples are mobs of whites parading through neighborhoods they've gentrified in New York and DC a As a non Black American I'm not gonna offer a deep review of this book as my opinion on these matters is really of no value I'll just praise this book for three things。 1。 Correctly noting that the protests after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 quickly escalated from being about Black Lives to being about white spectacle。 Blow mentions Portland and that is certainly one example。 The more comical examples are mobs of whites parading through neighborhoods they've gentrified in New York and DC and tearing things up supposedly in the name of Black Lives。 This is the Black Lives Matter Signs Matter movement because these "allies" have ran off all the previous Black residents。 When I saw rallies of basically all white people clowning and acting a fool in St。 Louis and bullying white diners in DC I knew that whatever this was about it definitely wasn't helping Black people。 2。 The more power white progressives have in a city the more likely the city is to be losing Black residents。 San Francisco， Oakland， New York， Chicago， DC， and St。 Louis just to name a few。 As statistically higher income whites move in they enact progressive legislation， but there are fewer Black residents around to benefit。 The areas of Black population growth in most metropolitan areas are in the suburbs。 The largest magnets for Black population are the Atlanta， Dallas， Houston， and Charlotte metros。。。 all in the South。 3。 When Mike Brown was killed leaving Ferguson Market in 2014 two other young St。 Louis Black men were killed within weeks leaving Palestinian-owned stores。 The reaction from heavily-funded progressive organizations moving in and trying to control the narrative and purchase the service of activists？ Ferguson to Palestine our struggle is the same。 No attempt to address the rampant anti-Blackness in the Arab community and the problematic relationship many of these stores have in the community。 Same can be said with large segments of the Latino and Asian communities in that they're steeped in anti-Blackness。 Blow correctly tackles some of the core flaws of intersectionality in this book。 。。。more

Jacqueline A Kane ，

Charles makes a solid political case for relocating to specific cities。 If I decide to move， I will seriously consider his recommendations。

F。 S。 ，

The blueprint is already there。 Revert the great migration and seize political power in the south。

Margaret ，

Completely unrealistic。 His ideas will never happen。 He sees black voters as a monolith which they are not。

Dave Fransen ，

Fascinating book。 I struggled with the first third because - despite the author's vehement denials - it seemed very， very racist。 But pro-Black is not racism。 It is， in reality， anti-racist。 His plea - for Black people to move en masse to the cities of the Deep South to establish a power center - felt really wrong。 Isn't that similar to some white supremacists' goal of putting Black people on boats and shipping them to Africa？ Isn't it the epitome of racial segregation？ At first I thought yes。。。 Fascinating book。 I struggled with the first third because - despite the author's vehement denials - it seemed very， very racist。 But pro-Black is not racism。 It is， in reality， anti-racist。 His plea - for Black people to move en masse to the cities of the Deep South to establish a power center - felt really wrong。 Isn't that similar to some white supremacists' goal of putting Black people on boats and shipping them to Africa？ Isn't it the epitome of racial segregation？ At first I thought yes。。。but the more I heard his reasoning， the more the answer to those questions became "no。" It's a very radical "solution" and seems like a pipe dream in the end， but it's certainly an interesting and thought-provoking read。 。。。more

B ，

Important book for building a political power base for Black Americans in the southern states。 Well researched and thoughtful。

Bryan Fox ，

An impassioned， concise cri de couer that should be required reading for all Americans who struggle to understand contemporary race relations in the US （and for all Americans who don't - because they need it even more）。 Charles Blow has seen what passes for "progress" in race relations， and witnessed the "achievements" in the wake of 2020's racial unrest， and， to put it frankly， he is sick and tired of waiting for things to get better。 Since the official emancipation of slaves， Black Americans h An impassioned， concise cri de couer that should be required reading for all Americans who struggle to understand contemporary race relations in the US （and for all Americans who don't - because they need it even more）。 Charles Blow has seen what passes for "progress" in race relations， and witnessed the "achievements" in the wake of 2020's racial unrest， and， to put it frankly， he is sick and tired of waiting for things to get better。 Since the official emancipation of slaves， Black Americans have been sold a false， perpetually unfulfilled promise of equality that never even comes close to materializing。 Blow's proposal is simple: the only realistic way for Black Americans to gain political power and a voice within the existing structure of the United States is by embarking upon a mass migration back to the southern states they fled during the Reconstruction， and in so doing， tipping the electoral balance into their favor， gaining Black Congresspeople who would actually be answering to Black constituents in Washington， and making sure that the Democrats （not a good option， but clearly the lesser of the two evils in the present American political landscape） win general elections indefinitely。 What I find fascinating about this proposal is that it as clearly logical as it is awkward to consider from all sides of the political/social spectrum。 White Americans in the North and West， who make vague overtures towards rectifying the situation （which amount to little more than social justice posturing） insist "But we're not racist here， like the South！" and wouldn't think such a mass exodus necessary or politically correct to promote。 White Americans in the South， who unabashedly benefit from the extant system， don't want any part of being a minority voice in their own states。 And Black Americans across the country would find it hard to swallow that the only realistic way to achieve a more equitable future for themselves and their descendants is by migrating， en masse， to forcibly change the nation's electoral demographics。I， for one， would love to see this proposal gain traction， because the path we're traveling down is embarrassingly retrograde， and shows very little signs of improving。 But realistically， it's hard to feel confident that something like this could ever come to pass anytime soon。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

Charles Blow's provocative and brilliant call for a reverse migration of Black people to the south to build Black power， not only for political strength。 He eloquently revisits the history of Black America and provokes multiple great reasons for repopulating Black communities in southern states， not the least of which is self respect。 Charles Blow's provocative and brilliant call for a reverse migration of Black people to the south to build Black power， not only for political strength。 He eloquently revisits the history of Black America and provokes multiple great reasons for repopulating Black communities in southern states， not the least of which is self respect。 。。。more

Susan ，

Blow is very clear that he doesn’t care what White people think about his thesis， which is that young Black people should move from Great Migration destination cities back to the South in order to have numerical majorities to win back Senate seats and gain political power。 OK， fine。 But Mr。 Blow， your book is available in stores and libraries， which means that it’s actually out in the world for anyone to read and remark on， so while you certain don’t need to care what I think， I do get to share Blow is very clear that he doesn’t care what White people think about his thesis， which is that young Black people should move from Great Migration destination cities back to the South in order to have numerical majorities to win back Senate seats and gain political power。 OK， fine。 But Mr。 Blow， your book is available in stores and libraries， which means that it’s actually out in the world for anyone to read and remark on， so while you certain don’t need to care what I think， I do get to share my opinion。I have no idea whether the core of Blow’s idea is a good one or not （i。e。 whether it is the moral obligation of young Black people to move back to the states their families historically come from in order to create political power for the Black community）， but I do think that he misses SO many relevant parts of the argument/discussion that it’s impossible to look at his question。First， Blow bases his political argument solely on the Senate and completely ignores the House。 While obviously it takes both chambers to pass legislation， this myopic view of the Legislative branch that ignores the effects of gerrymandering and disenfranchisement leaves me stunned。 Second， he mentions late in the book that 6 million Black people live in majority Black communities… and then does not discuss anything about what those communities have achieved politically。 If he is going to argue that some huge portion of the US population should move to achieve political goals， I believe he should tell us what achievements people in similar （even if smaller） communities have already achieved。 If he can’t do that… if those communities aren’t achieving the kind of goals he is arguing for… then the answer is voter enfranchisement， greater civic engagement， and community organizing on local scales。 Basically， show us proof of concept in places where these communities already exist， or use resources in different ways。Blow spends a good portion of the book arguing for the Black connection to the South， and laying out the case that there is more racism in the North than people think there is。 He says that he will never excuse the South， but ‘essentially） ‘really， have you seen how bad the North is’ （there’s a set of this around page 60）？ And yet for all his examples of Black people being targeted （individually or by policy） in the North， he conveniently never names Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting in Georgia （but we get an interview with Tamir Rice’s mother （Cleveland） and hear about Eric Garner （NYC）， George Floyd （MN）， and many more who are all conveniently not in the South）。 He said at one point that during the Great Migration， Black people moved North because the South had individual racism， but not embedded systems like the North now does， pointing out police violence。 Police violence is real， critical， and must be stopped， but what does he think literacy tests and poll taxes were？ What were the police but system-endorsed violence？ What were lynchings？ Bull Connor and the Klan weren’t individuals; they were the system run amok。 Blow ignores that the US will soon be a majority minority country （particularly in younger age brackets）。 He ignores the changes in voting trends in the last two elections in ages and race and how that is already changing the country （look at Democratic Party representation）。 He ignores the devastating role that the Republican Party is having on voting rights at Federal， state， and local levels， and that gerrymandering has had for decades。 Instead he wants to uproot people who have homes， leave behind the old and young （a complaint he had about the Great Migration）， and bring them South where there are not currently jobs for as many as he would encourage。 He disparages hope， ignoring the fact that hope is what galvanized the Modern Civil Rights Movement and kept （and keeps！） activists getting up each morning。 Hope isn’t blind faith in an unseen future。 Hope is the belief that if we do the work， we’ll build it together。 I cannot imagine how he misses that。 The Living Legacy Project has Civil Rights leaders （former and current） who Blow needs to talk to。Charles Blow doesn’t care what I think。 He’s crystal clear about that。 That’s fine。 But I hope somebody is asking him some hard questions about his idea， because this book feels like a think-piece column gone wrong。 。。。more

Autumn Kennedy ，

The book was okay。 The ideas are there， but the author has an idealized view of the south。

Jacob Moremen ，

An interesting an unique idea， fleshed out and well argued。 Touches on many areas of Black American history and avoids any real discussion of reparations to simply focus on a more personal appeal rather than lobbying government。 A fairly easy read overall。

Karen the Reader ，

This review is based on my initial listening to the audio version of this book。 Charles M。 Blow lays out a cogent treatise for why he believes that as many Black Americans as possible should reverse migrate to the southern United States for the political， financial， and social benefit of Black people and the country。 The writing is excellent， the evidence is thorough， and the argument is very compelling。 I’m recommending this book to everyone I know so that we can talk about this… I wish I knew This review is based on my initial listening to the audio version of this book。 Charles M。 Blow lays out a cogent treatise for why he believes that as many Black Americans as possible should reverse migrate to the southern United States for the political， financial， and social benefit of Black people and the country。 The writing is excellent， the evidence is thorough， and the argument is very compelling。 I’m recommending this book to everyone I know so that we can talk about this… I wish I knew of a forum where I could participate in discussions around this strategy。It will be interesting to see if in the coming months and years a movement will coalesce behind this proposition。 This notion is especially timely given the recent very glaring example of Black excellence being subjected to review and approval by White mediocrity and influence in the Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure struggle; and subsequent cry that Black folks should gravitate to spaces and places they are celebrated not merely tolerated。 As an aside， JD Jackson is an excellent selection as a narrator for this audiobook。 I highly recommend and give this book five stars。 。。。more

Rolf ，

It's a compelling argument （that Black folks should move south to consolidate political power）， though I'm curious how much a book will do to advance it。 It's a compelling argument （that Black folks should move south to consolidate political power）， though I'm curious how much a book will do to advance it。 。。。more

Katarina Hatch ，

I love the history and the data that’s in this book， and from reading a lot of reviews I see that some audiences DO find Blow’s central argument appealing: to migrate BACK to the Deep South in order to organize African Americans and gain political power like establishing more fair laws， etc。 While I question how feasible this is （uprooting your life？ leaving potential family， time lag， etc） I take a step back and acknowledge that I’m not African American， so who am I to comment on that？ To whoev I love the history and the data that’s in this book， and from reading a lot of reviews I see that some audiences DO find Blow’s central argument appealing: to migrate BACK to the Deep South in order to organize African Americans and gain political power like establishing more fair laws， etc。 While I question how feasible this is （uprooting your life？ leaving potential family， time lag， etc） I take a step back and acknowledge that I’m not African American， so who am I to comment on that？ To whoever will be participating in this migration back， I support you and wish you luck :） If you don’t love the central argument， keep reading anyway because the history is interesting to read。 。。。more

Candace ，

A thoughtful， provocative book。 It challenges the notion too often advanced that the North and West are bastions of racial harmony and the South is where “the bad things happen。” Blow posits interesting ideas about how to consolidate Black political power and why it is imperative to do so。 Even if one disagrees， in whole or in part， with his foundational idea， that Black Americans should engage in a concerted reverse migration， this book is still a great， engaging read。

Kathy Kline ，

WOW！ Everyone should read this book。 Agree or disagree， it needs to be a foundational part of the political discussion about how we might finally move forward as a country。 I am recommending it to everyone I know。

Monica Pierce ，

I'm not sure if I agree that the South should start at Delaware， but this book has me thinking。 I'm not sure if I agree that the South should start at Delaware， but this book has me thinking。 。。。more

De'Andre Crenshaw ，

This is one of the best books I've read in a while。 I was extremely skeptical of his proposition that the great migration had failed and Blacks should reverse it but as you follow the data you can't help but come to the same conclusion。 The areas where the most racial trauma and most clear racial disparities happen aren't in the south but the north， it is much like Baldwin said about migrating Blacks who didn't come into Michigan， New York， and so on they were forced into Detroit， Harlem and so This is one of the best books I've read in a while。 I was extremely skeptical of his proposition that the great migration had failed and Blacks should reverse it but as you follow the data you can't help but come to the same conclusion。 The areas where the most racial trauma and most clear racial disparities happen aren't in the south but the north， it is much like Baldwin said about migrating Blacks who didn't come into Michigan， New York， and so on they were forced into Detroit， Harlem and so on。 We faced the same troubles， if not worse in the north， while also giving up the ability to shape or manifest our destiny through voting， the return to the south could easily build back Black political， social， and economic power in a way that gives back to pride， and self-determination to a community that needs it。 I'm not sure I would make the trip but his book makes it appealing， it’s also sad to hear how so much of the racial segregation was carried out， and how much of our history we don’t know。 I would suggest this to anyone interested in history， along with politics， but also to anyone Black。 。。。more

Peter Adamson ，

If you are a regular NY Times Op/Ed reader， you will already be familiar with the author and his work。He makes a compelling case for a reversal of the great migration North after the not-so-Civil War。 Will be recommending to a few friends， although how do I get the ones who really need to read this stuff to do so？

Vivian Valvano ，

A must read for anyone in the US who is aware of racism’s stranglehold on the country。 Blow writes， “Race， as we have come to understand it， is a fiction; but racism， as we have come to live it， is a fact。 … After centuries of waiting for the white majorities to overturn white supremacy， it seems to me that it has fallen to Black people to do it themselves。” And he means it！ Marshaling facts， figures， and statistics and amassing multitudes of research， Blow argues his case。 He all but dares you A must read for anyone in the US who is aware of racism’s stranglehold on the country。 Blow writes， “Race， as we have come to understand it， is a fiction; but racism， as we have come to live it， is a fact。 … After centuries of waiting for the white majorities to overturn white supremacy， it seems to me that it has fallen to Black people to do it themselves。” And he means it！ Marshaling facts， figures， and statistics and amassing multitudes of research， Blow argues his case。 He all but dares you to interrupt him。 And he calls for， in a loud， bold， fearless voice， a reverse migration。 It is time， he says， for Blacks in northern， eastern， and western states to counter the long Great Migration of Blacks to urban centers in those areas … to return to/move to the South … and to enact changes in state governments。 。。。more

Suzy ，

As a white American， I am not the intended audience for this book， and feel that it would be disingenuous and out of place for me to write a review。 I will say that I learned a great deal from this thought-provoking book， and hope that it finds its way into the hands of its intended audience。

Thomas Ray ，

Charles Blow’s “The Devil You Know，” is bold， powerful， hopeful， and instructive。 A balance between politics， economics， and faith， Blow didactically conveys his manifesto for Blacks in America。 Surprisingly， he advocates a revolution with no weaponry。 Southern migration， once a laughable thought， is exactly what Blow suggests will truly change the plight of Black America。 Avoidance of marches， protests， and other forms of public defiance only succeed in agitation and at best minimal advancement Charles Blow’s “The Devil You Know，” is bold， powerful， hopeful， and instructive。 A balance between politics， economics， and faith， Blow didactically conveys his manifesto for Blacks in America。 Surprisingly， he advocates a revolution with no weaponry。 Southern migration， once a laughable thought， is exactly what Blow suggests will truly change the plight of Black America。 Avoidance of marches， protests， and other forms of public defiance only succeed in agitation and at best minimal advancement。 Blow’s manifesto requires a strategic demographic shift where Blacks obtain a majority in specific regions thereby gaining true legitimate political and economic power。 Very much akin to Vermont， where many white liberals congregated in the 60s and 70s to live out their vision without intrusion， Blow says to African Americans nationwide， specifically those in the destination cities of the Great Migration， return home to the south and reclaim your birthright。 A must read for those grappling with the paradox of northern liberty and southern restraint。 Warning-this manifesto just might “blow” you away。 。。。more

Chester Mack Brown ，

I did not enjoy this book， but think the driving argument deserves a more thorough treatment。 A few texts （off the dome） with useful rebuttals and/or important research for consideration:Du Bois， Black ReconstructionGrant， The Great Migration and the Democratic PartyReed， Stirrings in the JugFrymer， Uneasy Alliances

Brandon ，

loved it

Ercilia Delancer ，

While I agree with the premise that a reverse migration of African-Americans to the bosom of their grandparents' communities in the South could heal many of the horrors experienced by them in the Northern or Western states， I can't agree with his assertion that white supremacists in the South will allow this larger block of voters to undo the many restrictions already placed on African-American voters to limit the impact of their votes。 I can see the opposite happening: Georgia， Florida and Texa While I agree with the premise that a reverse migration of African-Americans to the bosom of their grandparents' communities in the South could heal many of the horrors experienced by them in the Northern or Western states， I can't agree with his assertion that white supremacists in the South will allow this larger block of voters to undo the many restrictions already placed on African-American voters to limit the impact of their votes。 I can see the opposite happening: Georgia， Florida and Texas are clear examples of the backlash implemented by GOP politicians to insure that black and brown people don't vote in sufficient numbers to have an impact on any election。 。。。more

Rafael Suleiman ，

A very compelling book with a directive for Black America。

Allison ，

2。5 stars