Author, constitutional law professor, civil rights attorney and activist Gloria J. Browne-Marshall arrived in Memphis last week for what could be called a prophetic moment. Fresh from attending the National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Awards, her appearance the next evening at Novel bookstore was to promote “A Protest History of the United States,” her seventh book.
Though the book chronicles acts of resistance over five centuries, the discussion was strikingly current. With “No Kings” protests beginning the next day across the country and federal troops framing the streets of Memphis, her talk seemed less like a book promotion and more like prophecy and prediction.
“This has been a book that was unexpected for the times but was in the process for years. The book wasn’t something I planned,” she told the audience. “It was something put on my heart to do. I wrote it because I kept hearing people say protesting is no longer effective.”
To Browne-Marshall, there are far more ways to protest than marching in the streets. She described other forms of resistance that happen less overtly. “Writing is protest. Leaving is protest. Funding transportation for protestors is protest. Survival is protest. Holding on to your dreams. Excellence — they can all be considered protests,” she said.
Part memoir and part national reckoning, she discussed how the book traces the roots of her activism through her ancestors, beginning with her great-great-grandmother Eliza Bradshaw. She shared how Bradshaw was beaten with a hickory stick and had salt poured into her wounds by her enslaver. After she fought back, throwing boiling water on her oppressor, “They never touched her again,” Browne-Marshall said.
Moderated by Deidre Malone, former president of the Memphis Chapter NAACP and current president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, the discussion explored protest, power, race, gender and grace. Calling the current administration a “regime,” Browne-Marshall connected the overturning of Roe vs. Wade to centuries of male domination over women’s bodies.
“Because wombs build empires, men have used women to create workers, soldiers and heirs,” she said. She warned that the same dynamics persist today, offering Project 2025 as another example.
Her talk ranged from Columbus’ seizure of Indigenous land to what she described as the current administration’s efforts to win over young Black supporters through economic appeal.
Browne-Marshall said, “Some Black supporters think if they’re on the money side, the bully won’t take their lunch money. I understand that; I don’t like getting my lunch money taken either. But the fact that it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t.” She added, “When it happens — and it will — we need to be prepared to bring them back into the fold.”
Before closing, Browne-Marshall asked a young audience member, “What did you learn here today?” Hearing that she planned to participate in protests, Browne-Marshall offered her safety tips. “Don’t protest at night,” she said. “Dangerous things happen at night. Take it from someone who has been protesting since the third grade.”
She also advised, in case of arrest, “Make sure you put a telephone number for your lawyer or for your family on your arm or your clothes with a marker because they (law enforcement officials) will take your cell phone.”
Drawing strength from her own journey, Browne-Marshall said, “My life has not been a crystal stair. Grace is what I was given, and grace is what I try to maintain, even though my activism is fueled by rage.”
Browne-Marshall’s timing, message and advice connected the past and the present. With protesters filling America’s streets the following morning, her book, her tour and her words proved in step with the climate of the country and the urgency of the moment.
