HC acquires book by Black Lives Matter protest hero Hutchinson

HarperCollins has acquired Everyone Versus Racism—a book by Patrick Hutchinson, who was photographed carrying an injured white man during London's Black Lives Matter protests.

Publishing director Kelly Ellis negotiated world all language rights with Andrew Selby at 84World. Everyone Versus Racism: A Letter to My Children, written with performance poet and author Sophia Thakur, will be published on 12th November.

A photo of Hutchinson on 13th June went viral when he was shown carrying an injured white man to safety during a confrontation in London between Black Lives Matter demonstrators and counter-protestors.

The book's synopsis explains: “In the global media coverage that followed Patrick revealed a simple philosophy for his own personal beliefs on racism and why he had responded the way he had. ‘It’s not black versus white, it’s everyone versus the racists,’ he said. In this poignant letter to his children, Patrick writes from the heart and shares the realities of life as a black man in Britain today, his own experiences with discrimination and the advice he wants to give the next generation to help break down barriers and unite everyone against racism.”

Hutchinson said: “That day at the Black Lives Matter demonstration was the first day of the rest of my life. A moment in time that captured exactly how I feel about racism, what we should do to combat it and why we need to take action. We need to unite to inspire change. I hope by writing this book, I can help people understand the realities of life as a black man in Britain today and how together we can make this world a better place for everyone. I want my children, my grandchildren and future generations to grow up in an equal world. I’m really excited to be teaming up with HarperCollins to share my message and to continue this movement.”

Ellis added: “I’m so proud to be working with Patrick on this incredibly important book. Patrick has a clear anti-racist message he wants to share after being presented with a completely unexpected platform and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be supporting him. We will do all we can to make sure his voice is heard as loudly and clearly as possible. This is not only a legacy for his own children and grandchildren – it’s a book for anyone who wants to learn more about racism from a man who speaks from the heart.”