At 16, Barbara Johns had had enough. In 1951, after years of attending an overcrowded, dilapidated school in Jim Crow-era Virginia, she secretly organised her classmates to strike for better learning conditions. The protest eventually became part of the legal fight that led to Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in American public schools. For political strategist and author Atima Omara, Johns represents exactly what it means to be an “instigator”.

In The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (And What We Can Learn From Them), Omara reclaims a word often used negatively against Black women and reframes it as a force for political and social change. An “instigator”, in her definition, is a Black woman between 18 and 45 whose experiences with racism and sexism have compelled her to organise, challenge injustice, and create change within her community.

Drawing on nearly two decades of work in American politics, Omara combines history, political analysis, and memoir to trace the contributions of Black women across generations. From Mary Ann Shadd Cary and Ida B. Wells to Shirley Chisholm and contemporary political leaders, the book argues that Black women have repeatedly been at the forefront of movements for voting rights, racial justice, labour, environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and disability rights.

But The Instigators is not simply an account of the past. Omara presents these women’s strategies as a blueprint for building a more inclusive, multiracial democracy in the present. The book draws from her own experiences as a political strategist, former candidate, Democratic Party leader, organiser, and advocate, offering practical guidance for readers who want to move beyond political frustration and into action.

Published by HarperCollins on May 5, 2026, The Instigators is ultimately a celebration of Black women who refuse to wait for permission to make change and an invitation for others to join them. Here’s the synopsis:

“How can we build a truly inclusive multi-racial democracy?” For Atima Omara, the answer is The Instigators—a name she has given to a demographic of Black women between the ages of 18 and 45. These women are uniquely equipped to save American democracy. They didn’t ask for this ability, she argues. It was forced on them because racism and sexism have made them the most marginalised group in American politics. We can all benefit from their strategic know-how as we rebuild our society.

Black women have always been the most relentless instigators for change, building a democracy for all. Omara draws on her political knowledge and expertise, as well as history, to examine how they have responded to failed strategic decisions by movement leaders and the modern Democratic Party in previous elections as a context for the present. She also provides actionable recommendations to organizers, donors, candidates, strategists, and political party leaders that everyday people can use in their communities to build an inclusive democracy that endures beyond one election cycle.

The Instigators is at once an urgent political guide, a historical exploration, and a poignant memoir that pulls from Omara’s two decades of work in Democratic politics and the progressive movement as an elected Democratic Party leader, movement organiser, former candidate, gubernatorial aide, campaign staff to candidates at the national, state, and local levels; and now political strategist. Powerful, insightful, and practical, it is imperative reading for everyone eager to protect and rebuild our democracy and create a better tomorrow for all.

Buy The Instigators here.