When They Call You a Terrorist

When Cullors uses the word “terrorism,” what does she mean? How does her interpretation of the word differ from mainstream rhetoric in the United States? Do you believe this is an appropriate use of the term? Why, or why not?

At the beginning of Chapter 2, Cullors quotes Alvin Ailey who said, “One of the worst things about racism is what it does to young people” (18). According to Cullors, what are some of the specific grievous effects of racism on the young people in her book? What are some of the more general, systemic ways—like the school-to-prison pipeline—that racism hurts youths?

What are Cullors’s thoughts on 12-step programs like Gabriel’s? Is her attitude toward them negative, or is she more ambivalent? Do you think her characterization of 12-step programs is fair?