21st Century Revolution: Through Higher Love, Racial Justice and Democratic Cooperation

21st Century Revolution was written based upon the author's 53 years of continuous involvement in the movement for fundamental, justice grounded, political, social, economic and cultural change--revolution. He was driven to write it because of deep concern about the systemic threats to the possibility of a decent life for future generations, particularly the climate emergency and related environmental threats, the rise of a neo-fascist threat in the USA and elsewhere, and the widening gulf of economic/racial inequality.

21st Century Revolution was written to encourage those who consider themselves part of the movement for systemic change to consider a mix of issues and history that the author believes are essential to the prospect of eventual success in our collective revolutionary project. Glick's particular personal history, which includes not just decades of political activism and organizing but also in-and-out relationships with and study of religion and spirituality, has given him a vantage point which has been of value to others.

21st Century Revolution does a number of things. It explores the issue of the relation between the socialist project since The Communist Manifesto in 1848 and organized religion, primarily Christianity. Within that context it addresses the questions, does “God” exist, and does it matter, as far as the historical project of fundamental social, political, cultural and economic change. It analyzes the major social, economic and cultural changes which began to take place approximately 10,000 years ago in Europe, Asia and North Africa as humans in those areas, after hundreds of thousands of years as hunter-gatherers, evolved into settled, agriculture-based societies. This change led to an historic shift from men-and-women run, predominantly peaceful partnership societies to male-dominated, militaristic and class societies. It puts forward and explains the importance of a wide range of necessary cultural changes in present-day society, including within the political Left, if the human race is going to be able to avoid worldwide societal breakdown because of an intensifying climate and ecological crisis. It describes what the author sees as seven distinct classes in U.S. society, as a contribution toward understanding the potentials, or lack of them, of each class to help make that revolution. It concludes with an articulation of and explanation in support of ten aspects of a winning strategy for revolutionary change in the 21st century which the author considers to be both necessary and already taking place.

Praise

“In his new book 21st Century Revolution, Glick weaves together existential questions such as ‘does God exist?’ with practical issues such as how to center working people and people of color in our organizations. He references a mind-boggling array of historical figures—Marx, Lenin, Gandhi, Ella Baker, Che Guevara, Paolo Freire—and prescriptions for gaining power that move from electoral politics to direct action such as sit-ins and hunger strikes. The result is a sweeping view of revolutionary potential packed into a slim but powerful 100-pages-plus package.”  
—Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the women-led peace group CODEPINK and co-founder of the human rights group Global Exchange.

 “For someone like me who reads lots of poetry books, novels, memoirs, essays, this book opened up a whole new vista. It should be read by all poets, writers, studied in high school, read aloud in community centers and activist organizations. It has a breathtaking sweep--religions, personal topography, faith, philosophy--and it percolates with connections, allusions and compass needles that take us in the direction of how to assess where we are in these troubled times, and in doing so affirms our struggle for a kinder society. A great work of understanding where we are, how we got here and where we go from here.” 
—Jimmy Santiago Baca, award-winning poet, author of a dozen books of poetry and other memoirs, essays, stories and a screenplay. His book A Place to Stand, about his difficult youth and five years in prison, was made into a feature-length movie in 2016.

"Ted Glick has drawn upon his long and deep history of progressive activism, combined with focused and relevant research, to produce a valuable contribution to the movement for fundamental social transformation. 21st Century Revolution is of value both to long-distance runners for social justice and to those newly active who were inspired by 2020’s Black Lives Matter uprising against all forms of white supremacy. This book should be widely read."
—Dr. Ron Daniels, President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century.

"Ted Glick's 21st Century Revolution is full of provocative political ideas and useful strategic insights. But the special contribution of this unique volume is its in-depth analysis of the often-fraught relationship between socialist and Marxist movements and those whose quest for justice and peace is grounded in religious conviction or deep spirituality. Readers across the political and religious spectrum will learn a great deal from Glick's recounting and come away with a deeper understanding of what is certain to be a constantly recurring issue as people from all backgrounds strive to join together and tackle the dire threats that face humanity and the planet in the 21st century."
—Max Elbaum, author of Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che.
 
"Ted Glick has issued a call for revolutionary transformation that insists on the need to reject a deterministic view of the path of humanity and, instead, to see in the course of human development the revolutionary moments--both successful and unsuccessful--where humanity worked to shift course.  Glick's view of the needs of the moment are rooted in a deep revolutionary moralism and spiritualism that is completely consistent with a materialist analysis of history and the current moment.  He leaves us with not simply an historical critique but a suggested path for our journey into a liberatory future."
—Bill Fletcher, Jr., author of Solidarity Divided; "They're Bankrupting Us" - And Twenty other Myths about Unions; and The Man Who Fell from the Sky. 



“Ours is a broken nation of broken peoples. How do we mend, imagine and rebuild while leaving the grief of loss, injustice, and heinous acts of oppression in the compost?  21st Century Revolution gave me a sense that if loving revolutionaries created, held and carried visions through disintegration to future re-creation, we could bring forth Beautiful Justice through unified actions, rooted in Love, without a whisper of white supremacy, and guided by visions of unprecedented People Power!”
—L. George Friday, National Organizer, United for Peace and Justice, Assistant Director of NC Peace Action and a leader at Move to Amend
 
“In 21st Century Revolution Ted Glick lays bare a profound project for our future movements. This text not only wrestles with what it means to be loving revolutionaries, it is a testament to a life well lived—a  model of what it means to be fully human inside an inhumane civilization.  Ted Glick and this book are a gift to us all.”  
—Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, Author, Gods, Gays, and Guns
 
“21st Century Revolution is a timely and powerful contribution to today's social movements. As incisive as it is accessible, the book offers revolutionaries of today and tomorrow both a critical analysis and practical framework for revolution making. Ted shares learnings gathered over a half century of grassroots activism, community organizing, and historical inquiry. The result is a deeply pragmatic work, one that holds space for the personal and spiritual elements integral to uprooting injustice in all its forms and cultivating the world anew.” 
—Matt Smith, organizer and trainer in the climate justice movement based in NJ.
 
“Ted Glick’s 21st Century Revolution leads us on a stimulating and personal journey through the ideas and movements for radical social change. Figures visited along the way include Marx, Engels, Pope Francis, Ella Baker, Howard Thurman, Maria Mies, Freire, Einstein, Castro, Bonhoeffer, and many others. If you think his cast of characters too ideologically diverse, then you lack Ted’s expansive frame of mind. If you think his vision too impractical, see his nuts-and-bolts ideas for sustained organizational renewal. This is a field guide interspersed with the experiences and reflections of a life steeped in grassroots activism.  It is a valuable and accessible resource for movement activists.”
—Andres Torres, co-editor of The Puerto Rican Movement, and Revolution Around the Corner. He taught at the University of Massachusetts and at Lehman College/CUNY.
 
“I know Ted as a comrade and a leader of fully committed, creative nonviolent activism. This book reveals his decades-long journey of spiritual exploration that underpins his commitment – an inspiration to me and so many others. He outlines ten elements of a winning strategy for power that is already moving toward fruition, based, above all else, on love.” 
—Melinda Tuhus, Independent journalist and (climate) activist

"Ted Glick provides the foundation, the understanding, and the path forward for a 21st century justice revolution. His new, thoughtful and provocative book is a must read for all of us who are working to build this revolution to create a better world." 
—Joe Uehlein, Founding President of the Labor Network for Sustainability and Voices for a Sustainable Future, former secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO’s Industrial Union Department and former director of the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Campaigns.

Ted Glick has been a community organizer, peace and justice activist and writer since 1968. He has been producing a bi-weekly, Future Hope column of social and political commentary since 2000. He was a Vietnam War era draft resister, spending 11 months in prison; a co-founder of the National Campaign to Impeach Nixon; a community and tenants’ right organizer in Brooklyn, NY; coordinator of the Independent Progressive Politics Network; an adult counselor with the Future Leaders Network; and the National Campaign Coordinator of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. He is currently president of the climate group 350NJ-Rockland and is an active leader of Beyond Extreme Energy. He is married to Jane Califf and has a son, Daniel, daughter-in-law, Lucía, and grandson Río. He has lived in northern New Jersey since 1998.

See and hear Ted Glick's Author Page HERE