Rachel E. Cargle Knihy

This book offers a personal and enlightening perspective on antiracism and allyship, emphasizing the transformative power of imagination and action in dismantling oppressive systems. The author, a respected lecturer and activist, recounts her pivotal moment at the 2017 Women's March, which launched her into a national dialogue on feminism and allyship. However, she soon recognized the misleading narratives surrounding intersectional solidarity that she had previously accepted. This painful awakening allowed her to view the world differently. She introduces a framework for allyship that she developed during her journey, encapsulated in the concept of KEA (Knowledge, Empathy, Action), which emphasizes a holistic approach to understanding and addressing societal issues. Cargle also outlines a set of intentional values, termed higher values, rooted in personal purpose, which help individuals critically assess their environments. By sharing the tools and prompts that aided her in aligning her values, she empowers readers to identify and overcome the structures and mindsets that hinder their progress. This work serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of reimagining our approaches to learning, empathy, and action in the pursuit of social justice.

After a photograph of her standing with her white friend at the 2017 Women's March went viral, then twenty-seven-year old Rachel Cargle began to wonder, What is her place in the feminist movement? Is feminist solidarity even a possibility? She started documenting her investigation into these questions and many others via Instagram, which grew into a robust community of nearly two million members. Now, in I Don't Want Your Love and Light, Cargle shares her journey, depicting the framework for true allyship that she discovered along the way. According to Cargle, true freedom from the structures that reinforce white supremacy comes through a three-art process- knowledge + empathy + action. I Don't Want Your Love and Light describes Cargle's journey towards her own liberation from the constructs that confine and limit not just Black women, but all people. Both a memoir and a manifesto, this book offers a way for all readers to reimagine the world and their place in it. Cargle presents a map toward a freer, more equal world--one that is not based on hierarchy or othering, but on seeing one another for who we really are.