It is our story of quitting after years of working on the American project, an experiment in democracy that so far has failed more than it has succeeded, especially for Black people, Native Americans, and other groups deemed as inferior to white people. We are not shy about our critique of the United States of America. We believe that some Black people ought to find their way to countries in Africa or at least to nations where Black people and people of color are the majority. Not because those nations are perfect but because they can give us space away from America’s virulent form of racism so we can catch our breath and design the life we deserve. We hope that Black people who are already convinced that they should leave might read our book and move from threatening to do so to making plans and then actualizing their exit. We also hope that our book might be a gentle nudge for those who have never considered quitting. Where you were born or raised isn’t where you must live.
DR. YANIQUE REDWOOD is the author of two books WE QUIT AMERICA: OUR EXIT FROM A COUNTRY DESIGNED TO KILL BLACK PEOPLE (2024) and WHITE WOMEN CRY AND CALL ME ANGRY: A BLACK WOMAN’S MEMOIR ON RACISM IN PHILANTHROPY (2023). She is an expert on racial equity and racial justice and has spent her career writing and speaking on these topics for nonprofit and philanthropic audiences. Dr. Redwood spent a decade as president and CEO of iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility, where she led the evolution of the foundation from a focus on health equity to a focus on racial justice. She is a sought after speaker on topics related to Black women’s experience of trauma in the workplace. In addition to her professional endeavors, she enjoys Soca music, tending to her plants, skygazing, and reading with her book club Zora’s Roundtable. She resides in Washington, DC and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
RONNIE GALVIN is the author of WE QUIT AMERICA: OUR EXIT FROM A COUNTRY DESIGNED TO KILL BLACK PEOPLE (2024). Galvin was most recently the Managing Director for Community Investment at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. In this role, he served as the primary thought leader, strategic advisor, and coach in the formation of a new strategic plan that challenged the Foundation to lead more explicitly with racial equity. Prior to this role, he served as Vice-President for Racial Equity and the Democratic Economy at the Democracy Collaborative. He also fulfilled other leadership roles at Community Change, a national nonprofit that builds the power of low-income people, especially people of color, to fight for a society where everyone can thrive, and Impact Silver Spring, a human-centered network that tackles the root causes of racial and economic disparities. In addition to his professional endeavors, he enjoys Soca and house music, DJ’ing, reading biographies and non-fiction books, and debating social and political issues with friends. He resides in Washington, DC and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
JAMYE WOOTEN is a strategist and design leader working at the intersection of philanthropy and movement building. He co-founded Baltimore United for Change and launched CLLCTIVLY in 2019, envisioning a liberated Black future rooted in community, self-determination, joy, love, abundance, and reciprocity. By reclaiming stories, deepening knowledge, and strategically allocating resources, Wooten aims to build sustainable ecosystems for collective liberation. CLLCTIVLY has mobilized over $3 million for Black-led organizations in Greater Baltimore. He is also creator of the #BlackChurchSyllabus, #MLK2BAKER and Black Theology Project 2.0. Wooten has advised globally and documented movements across the U.S., U.K., and Africa.
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