A memoir of hard-fought lessons and the price for justice.
​In his debut book, With My People: Life, Justice, and
Activism Beyond the University (Sept. 16), equity advocate and organizer Jonathan Pulphus explores how college students have — and continue to today — protest systemic injustice and bring about community change. By examining this activism, Pulphus asks: what does it take to sustain a movement beyond the university?​
Pulphus draws from his experience of being a St. Louis University sophomore when he joined the battle for justice in the wake of Michael Brown Jr.’s murder. He cofounded the activist group Tribe X and helped conduct multiple peaceful protests, which were covered in Ebony, The Washington Times, The New York Times, as well as local St. Louis media.
​
When the local government in Ferguson, Missouri, and federal authorities failed in their duty to serve justice in 2014, college sophomore Jonathan Pulphus committed to being in the streets and battling for justice in the wake of Michael Brown Jr.'s murder. This story traces a nine-month journey toward justice. Despite mistakes, student activists made extraordinary strides toward transforming the community. Many people aspire to fight for something larger than themselves and to make an impact. Few understand what it takes to sustain a movement. Even fewer know the expenses at which gains are made.
​
People would like for you to believe protest is an ineffective tool for change, but history tells us that student activism has been a formidable force leading to substantive change throughout history. Student activism has played a large role in societal transformation--consider the 1964 Mississippi Delta or Apartheid Soweto. Today's students continue this legacy but tell a new story, like that of the Ferguson Uprising.
​
We know why people, especially students, become involved in community organizing. But how should students organize? With My People answers this fundamental and crucial question by bringing together ethnography and notes on community-building, taking readers on a yearlong journey from the front lines of Ferguson to undergraduate campus life at Saint Louis University. Using Pulphus's account of events and notes to students, With My People reveals how youth can navigate setbacks to resist state violence and create opportunities for justice to prevail.
Dr. Jonathan Fenderson and
Dr. Bukky Gbadegesin
Black Studies scholars in St. Louis.
“A lot has been written about Ferguson, but far too few words have come from the courageous people who were actually there on the streets every night! Forging a new path in the tradition of student-activists who came before him, Jonathan Pulphus was there—facing down militarized police, reactionary politicians, and movement contradictions. It’s refreshing to finally read and hear the voice of a Ferguson activist, who was A-1 from day one!”
Scott Berman, PhD, associate professor of philosophy and academic program coordinator for the Prison
Education Program at Saint Louis University; and
Ilene Berman, MFA, sculptor and assistant professor in the
Visual and Performing Arts Department of Saint Louis University
"This book presents a beautiful first-person perspective on pivotal moments of change in the racial history of St. Louis and Saint Louis University interweaving the personal and political while explaining both the trees and the forest of complex social justice issues. Jonathan Pulphus is a gifted writer: he places the reader in the middle of events, while providing insight that fosters understanding about what is happening all around. His is a thoughtful, caring voice that speaks to the time and provides mentorship and love to future activists."
Jamala Rogers
long time community organizer, political strategist and author of Ferguson is America: Roots of Rebellion
“Jonathan Pulphus was already on a justice-seeking trajectory before the Ferguson Uprising. In fact, that would be the very arc that planted him on West Florissant Avenue. He was not a youthful participant wearing rose-colored glasses. JP deeply understood then as he understands now, and that is “getting wins for the local Black community” goes far beyond militant chants. With My People is a must read for those interested in hearing the next generation’s views on the struggle for human liberation."
Robin D.G. Kelley
author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination
“Part war memoir, part movement history, part organizing handbook, With My People is an insider’s account of the crucial role of Tribe X in the fight for justice in Ferguson and beyond. Jonathan Pulphus writes with warmth, wit, love, and humility and yet delivers a wake-up punch to anyone who may have underestimated the significance of the moment and the movement.”
Dr. Colin Gordon
professor of history at the University of Iowa and author of Mapping Decline, Citizen Brown, and Patchwork Apartheid
“An insightful, incisive, and moving examination of the Ferguson Uprising and its broader implications. This book interrogates the complexities of social movements, the complicity of white institutions, and the challenges of formal and informal education in an unjust and imperfect world. Part memoir, part meditation, part call to action, With My People is brimming with insights and lessons.”
Dr. Joe Feagin
University Distinguished Professor emeritus at Texas A&M University and author of dozens of books, including Racist America
“A powerful personal narrative bridging grassroots activism and serious academic inquiries. Drawing on lived
experience as a student organizer during the Ferguson Uprising, Pulphus offers unflinching assessments of
systemic white racism, Black community resistance, and meaningful collective action. A vital contribution to
the Black freedom-struggles literature and a testament to the enduring power of youth-led change
movements.”
Fred P. Pestello,
PhD, president, Saint Louis University
“With My People reflects the care I’ve witnessed from [Jonathan Pulphus] and documents his path to social activist and protest leader, and the lessons he learned along the way.”
Malik Rhasaan
founder of Occupy the Hood
“This book is a powerful, unfiltered account of the Ferguson Uprising, told by someone who lived it. Every page captures the raw truth of our resistance—our unity, our struggle, and our unwavering demand for justice. If you want to understand what really happened, read this.”
Dr. Stefan M. Bradley
Charles Hamilton Houston ’15 Professor of Black Studies and History, Amherst College;
author of If We Don’t Get It: A People’s History of Ferguson (2025)
"In this book, Jonathan shows that it did not take fame or money but rather the recognition of injustice and the willingness to be “with my people,” to create viable and necessary change. More of that, please."
Rev. Osagyefo Sekou
Pastor, Valley and Mountain Fellowship,
Seattle, Washington
"[Jonathan Pulphus'] witness helps us to understand that when we stand with those who do not matter, history will bend to our will and heaven will bear witness to our faithfulness. Read it and be changed."
Dr. Jasmine Harris,
author of Black Women, Ivory Tower
“This book provides powerful arguments about the nature and power of protest participation for students – a conversation most American colleges and universities don’t want to have, and that makes it both radical and essential reading.”