Don't Go

“Don’t Go is a remarkable piece of work that can change how we all live. The human voices and engaging, innovative approach do more than a mountain of data ever could to bridge racial barriers. This is a powerful and compelling book.” Lawrence D. Bobo, Harvard University “The first-person accounts in this book are a powerful reminder that segregation isn’t just about points on a map; it’s about the geography of feelings inside those growing up within its shadows. Don’t Go lays this bare, while also giving space for hope that change will come – and how.” Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University “This book provides a challenging but beautiful reflection on the reality that many Chicagoans know to be true but too often don’t know how to talk about or address. In sharing real-life personal accounts, the book invites everyone to consider the power of stories and relationships as a weapon of separation or a tool for healing.” Candace Moore, Senior Strategic Advisor at Race Forward and Inaugural Chief Equity Officer for the City of Chicago “Don’t Go is the much-needed, cross-disciplinary, collaborative tome on how segregation and fear keep cities like Chicago divided. Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan frame the complex subject of racism and geography as both a deeply personal narrative and a profoundly systemic problem. As has become Johnson’s signature style, in Don’t Go she has masterfully blended the poetics of Black life with the very real human emotions – such as uncertainty and misinformation – that keep us all from feeling more connected.” Amanda Williams, Chicago-based artist and 2022 MacArthur Fellow “Every one of us, no matter how much we’re committed to racial justice and believe in racial equality, has stereotypes that we need to overcome. If you think you’re immune from the stereotypes of ‘dangerous Black neighborhoods,’ you should read this book.” Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law