Long before the pandemic, Ruha Benjamin was doing groundbreaking research on race, technology, and justice, focusing on big, structural changes. But the twin plagues of COVID-19 and anti-Black police violence inspired her to rethink the importance of small, individual actions. Part memoir, part manifesto, Viral Justice is a sweeping and deeply personal exploration of how we can transform society through the choices we make every day.
Vividly recounting her personal experiences and those of her family, Benjamin shows how seemingly minor decisions and habits could spread virally and have exponentially positive effects. She recounts her father’s premature death, illuminating the devastating impact of the chronic stress of racism, but she also introduces us to community organizers who are fostering mutual aid and collective healing. Through her brother’s experience with the criminal justice system, we see the trauma caused by policing practices and mass imprisonment, but we also witness family members finding strength as they come together to demand justice for their loved ones. And while her own challenges as a young mother reveal the vast inequities of our healthcare system, Benjamin also describes how the support of doulas and midwives can keep Black mothers and babies alive and well.
Born of a stubborn hopefulness, Viral Justice offers a passionate, inspiring, and practical vision of how small changes can add up to large ones, transforming our relationships and communities and helping us build a more just and joyful world.
Read the Press Release about the book: "N.C. A&T Selects Benjamin's "Viral Justice" as 2023 Text-In-Community Read"
A&T introduced the TIC program in 2003 to foster meaningful and relevant discussions throughout the campus community. The first selection, The Souls of Black Folk (1903) by W.E.B. Du Bois, sparked conversations surrounding the African American experience – addressing progress, challenges, and future prospects – a century after its original publication. The program is hosted by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, along with the Division of Student Affairs.
