We'll All Be Free
How a Culture of White Supremacy Devalues Us and How We Can Reclaim Our True Worth
About
Never doubt your worth again
You're not good enough. How many of us internalize this belief before we even reach adulthood? How many of us feel unworthy and unable to live up to what seem like impossible, completely arbitrary standards? Where do these toxic beliefs about ourselves come from? And who told us there is a way we are "supposed" to be, anyway?
With passion and compassion, educator and podcaster Caroline J. Sumlin reveals the force that keeps all of us, whether we are part of a marginalized group or not, from freely expressing who we are as image bearers of God: white supremacy culture. Sharing her own story, she helps us
● see the wide-ranging effects of living in a culture of white supremacy
● identify the damaging beliefs we internalize from our very earliest days
● find clarity and freedom as we dismantle the oppressive structures that hem us in and force us to conform
If you have struggled with perfectionism, self-doubt, unworthiness, or the unrelenting pressure to pursue someone else's version of "success," you will find here the tools you need to silence the voices that seek to keep you down and to value yourself as never before.
"A kind yet stirring reminder that there are no winners under white supremacy's weight. Get ready to look backward to see the truth of our history, inward to unlearn the lies we believe, and forward to work toward a bright, free future."--Danielle Coke, illustrator and activist
"This book will help you understand not just what is broken in our racist and patriarchal society but how it connects to your own story. As a white woman and a recovering perfectionist, I am so grateful this book exists."--Jenny Booth Potter, author of Doing Nothing Is No Longer an Option
Endorsements
"We'll All Be Free serves as a kind yet stirring reminder that there are no winners under white supremacy's weight. Throughout these pages, you'll find Caroline to be a comforter, cheerleader, and coach for the journey ahead. Get ready to look backward to see the truth of our history, inward to unlearn the lies we believe, and forward to work toward a bright, free future."
Danielle Coke, illustrator and activist
"At several points throughout We'll All Be Free, I would pause and hover over a sentence, trying to memorize what Caroline had to say because I didn't want to simply highlight her words; I wanted to let her ideas and insights sink deep within, to continue to stir and challenge me long after I put the book down. Weaving her own story of adoption and trauma and pain, Caroline makes connections to concepts such as white supremacy culture in a fresh and compelling way. This book will help you understand not just what is broken in our racist and patriarchal society but how it connects to your own story. As a white woman and a recovering perfectionist, I am so grateful this book exists."
Jenny Booth Potter, author of Doing Nothing Is No Longer an Option
"In We'll All Be Free, Caroline J. Sumlin writes 'For us to heal, to reclaim our worth, we must not only dig deep enough to discover the roots of our collective feelings of unworthiness but also dig deep enough to pull them all out together. . . . Remember, we cannot actively uproot a problem if we cannot find the roots to begin with.' Equal parts historical retelling, memoir, and roadmap, We'll All Be Free is one of a kind. Sumlin prompts readers to grasp at the roots of our own personal traumas and then draws explicit connections between feelings of unworthiness and the insidiousness of white supremacy culture, which has shaped each of us from our earliest memories. Sumlin asks all of us to uproot internalized feelings of inferiority and self-doubt within the context of the perfectionism and toxic bootstrapping of white supremacy culture. We'll All Be Free is both expansive and intimate; it is sweeping in its historical research and also breathtaking in its rawness and vulnerability. Sumlin's debut work is a must-read for . . . well, all of us."
Kate Slater, PhD, racial justice scholar and educator
The Author
-
Kimery Williams Caroline J. Sumlin
Caroline J. Sumlin is a writer, speaker, and educator with a passion for helping all people to reclaim their self-worth and their humanity. A former foster child turned adoptee, Caroline brings awareness, healing, and liberation to the topics of toxic white...
Continue reading about Caroline J. Sumlin