The Work Is the Work: Letters to a Future Activist

There are many ways to make a difference in our communities, many causes to organize and volunteer for. But where do we start? And how do we avoid burning out? Whether you're just beginning the work of social justice, or you've been doing it for years but need a reminder of why we're in this fight and how to keep going, this book is for you.

Drawing from his nearly twenty-five years of social justice work and LGBTQ+ advocacy, Brian Johnson offers us this set of urgent, essential, justice-seeking letters to his daughter in The Work Is the Work. Johnson explores what compels us to serve and how to respond to the many needs around us, offering insights from well-known figures in justice work such as Claudia Rankine, Greg Boyle, Gandhi, and more. What is personal is also universal--containing the essentials of justice work and advocacy, and revealing why we keep going. For all who care about environmental justice, LGBTQ+ advocacy, anti-racism efforts, and community support, The Work Is the Work celebrates the struggles and victories of advocacy work and shares the spirit of justice for our children, the next generation of changemakers.

Written for the millions who work for justice, march in the streets, volunteer in service positions for the public sector, and want to inspire the next generation of changemakers, this book reminds us of the essentials and inspires us to keep fighting the good fight.

Brian C. Johnson has served in education and advocacy, community organizing, and political activism at local and national levels for two decades, dedicated to the American promise of fairness for all. He's been featured on CNN and in The Washington Post, USA Today, and The New York Times. Johnson currently serves as the CEO of Equality Illinois, one of the nation's most successful LGBTQ civil rights organizations. He lives with his husband and their daughter in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.