Stayed on Freedom

Black Power is often remembered through its famous spokesmen, but much of its energy came from people whose stories have gone untold. This book is a history of Black liberation told through two of them, Zoharah Simmons and Michael Simmons, grassroots organizers who gave their lives to the fight for freedom.

The two fell in love while organizing tenants and workers in the South. Their commitment to each other and to social change then carried them on a journey lasting decades, first across the United States and later around the world.

By placing their lives at the center, historian Dan Berger shows how Black Power linked local struggles to global ones, across organizations and across generations. The book draws on hundreds of hours of interviews and offers an intimate portrait of two people trying to build a life together while working to build a better world.