The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart

All 10 chapters of Part III are arranged thematically. They address common topics related to effective organization, sharing the lessons Garza learned over the years. Furthermore, they highlight the under-organization of Black communities and call for structural and institutional changes that would allow for more Black youth leadership.

Whereas the previous sections focused on Garza’s background, Part III mainly dispels common misconceptions about what constitutes successful movements. Garza points out that in the current digital age, people often confuse movements with social media influence, such as the use of hashtags. Unlike movements, however, hashtags do not guarantee people’s real-life participation. Misunderstanding movements, especially on the part of organization leaders, can seriously endanger the movement. Thus, these chapters intend to inform future organizers and leaders and dispel these harmful misconceptions.

Chapter 8 revisits the factors constituting a successful movement.

The author emphasizes that organizations are not hashtags but made of people; making something viral and garnering a lot of attention is not a movement. The actions of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm did not serendipitously mobilize large groups of people; rather, the movements are the fruit of years of sustained efforts by organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) or the (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) SCLC.