Necessary But Disposable: 40 Conversations About Us is an invitation to pull up a chair and have the conversations we can no longer afford to avoid.For generations, Black Americans have been necessary to the building of this country, its economy, its culture, its institutions, and its communities. Our creativity is celebrated. Our labor is needed. Our votes are pursued. Our influence is undeniable. Yet too often, being necessary has not meant being valued, protected, empowered, or secure.So where does that leave us?Through forty thought provoking conversations, author Keyuni Jackson examines the questions that live beneath the surface of our everyday experiences. What has our silence cost us? What has our vote really built? Why does success not always feel secure? Who profits from the culture we create? Why do we work so hard and still feel as though we have to prove our worth? Why are we carrying so much? And if nobody is coming to save us, what can we build for ourselves?Moving through conversations about history, political power, economic empowerment, culture, ownership, work, entrepreneurship, family, healing, land, legacy, and the future, Necessary But Disposable challenges readers to look beyond survival and consider what comes next.This is not a book that claims to have every answer.It is a book willing to ask the questions.Questions meant to travel from these pages into homes, book clubs, churches, HBCUs, fraternities and sororities, classrooms, leadership groups, and communities.Because the conversation does not end when the book closes.The table is ready.The conversation has already started.Will you pull up a chair?
