New hope and justice book honors Samantha Woll’s legacy

By AI, Created 10:36 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Bankole Thompson’s forthcoming anthology, set for release in late May, centers economic justice, democracy and moral courage while honoring slain Detroit Jewish leader Samantha Woll. The book includes contributions from Woll’s parents and endorsements from major civil rights, legal and faith leaders.

Why it matters: - The book ties Samantha Woll’s legacy to a national conversation about hope, inequality and democratic decline. - It uses Woll’s life and death to frame economic justice as inseparable from community cohesion and principled leadership. - The anthology aims to push leaders in government, academia, business and media toward structural action, not symbolic support.

What happened: - Bankole Thompson, a Detroit journalist and author, is releasing “HOPE: On The Mountain Of Fear” in late May. - The book is an anthology of essays from contributors across the country on issues including healthcare affordability, veterans care, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the news media and housing. - Douglas and Margo Woll, Samantha Woll’s parents, are among the contributors. - Samantha Woll was president of Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit when she was killed in 2023 at age 40. - Thompson said he invited the Wolls to contribute after meeting Douglas Woll for breakfast following Samantha Woll’s death and later hosting the couple on his podcast, Bankole’s Nation.

The details: - The book presents hope as a strategy that requires action, not a slogan. - Thompson describes the collection as a realistic prescription for resilience in a time of widening inequality and social fragmentation. - The essays draw on a tradition of truth-telling associated with figures including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, James Baldwin and Maya Angelou. - The book argues that democracy is being undermined by economic inequality and institutional silence. - Thompson said Samantha Woll’s life reflected hope, justice and the belief that people from different backgrounds can build something better. - The Wolls’ contribution focuses on Samantha Woll’s refusal of neutrality in the face of injustice and on her efforts to bridge racial, economic and cultural divides. - Steny Hoyer endorsed the book and said Congress and the country should read it. - Sister Simone Campbell wrote the foreword. - Campbell said hope can weave people together through community and small acts of participation. - Marc Morial wrote the epilogue and called the book a “groundbreaking anthology.” - Morial described the book as a call to courage, conviction and collective purpose amid division and uncertainty. - Erwin Chemerinsky endorsed the book and said the essays provide a blueprint for economic justice and equal opportunity. - Walter Kimbrough praised the book’s focus on housing, criminal justice and mental health.

Between the lines: - The book positions Woll as more than a victim of violence; it casts her as a model of coalition-building and moral leadership. - Thompson is using the anthology to connect anti-poverty work, racial equity and democratic renewal into one argument. - The endorsements suggest the project is aimed at a broad coalition spanning politics, law, faith and civil rights. - The framing also signals a direct critique of performative equity efforts that do not lead to measurable change.

What’s next: - The book will be released in late May. - Thompson is continuing to promote the project through his journalism, podcast work and The PuLSE Institute. - The anthology’s message will likely be carried further through its contributors, foreword, epilogue and public endorsements.

The bottom line: - “HOPE: On The Mountain Of Fear” uses Samantha Woll’s legacy to argue that hope, democracy and economic justice depend on action, coalition-building and moral clarity.