Welcome to Takeover Tuesday!
As a 6’2″ dreadlocked black man, Tyler Merritt knows what it feels like to be stereotyped as threatening, which can have dangerous consequences. But he also knows that proximity to people who are different from ourselves can be a cure for racism.
You can enter to win a print copy of I Take My Coffee Black, courtesy of the publisher. (US ONLY) You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of this post. (Contest ends October 19, 2021.) Share on XIf you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along.
Q & A with Tyler…
Q: What made you decide to write the book?
A: We were going through a time where the voices of black authors and voices of people of color were not only so much needed, but were being amplified in a way that I feel has not happened since the civil rights movement. There is a desire for people to take in words and content from people of color. I had already been communicating that through videos. I found myself reaching audiences that I had dreamed of but never thought I would actually have the chance to reach. Before I knew it, I began building the storyline of I Take My Coffee Black. I started writing the idea and concept of the book after taking a two-year hiatus from social media (which I talk about in the book). With the need and desire for more black voices to be heard and knowing the impact of my individual story, I knew it was time to put pen to paper. It became clear to me how I wanted to communicate it.
Q: What message do you hope readers will take away from the book?
A: There are so many incredible black voices telling black stories, giving history and education of black people and the black experience. I didn’t want to write another “How to be Anti-Racist” because it had already been written so well. There were so many stories that black people were putting out that were so powerful and educational. So I leaned heavily into my own personal story. I knew that my story was a story of hope, forgiveness, being found again, making sure that you follow out with the desires and paths of your life, and that there is beauty within the brokenness of who you are but all of those things from a black man’s perspective.
I was also very aware of how not monolithic we are as black people. I think it’s easy sometimes especially when you’re reading or watching a video to go “Oh this black person told me this, so now I get it and I understand it and because this singular black person told me this, this is how all black people feel.” First of all, that just is not true. At all whatsoever. All of our stories are so in-depth and different and beautiful and unique, and my hope was that people would take from my story and learn from my story. Not just because of the things that I have been through but through the eyes of a black man living through those things. My hope is that people take a message of hope, forgiveness, and reconciliation, empathy, and love for their fellow man, and they will do that by me allowing them to walk alongside me in a very transparent way that not many books do.
Q: Were you surprised by the response to your video “Before You Call the Cops”?
A: It’s funny and something that my mother and I still joke about… She will say, “Tyler, why did you not wear a shirt in that video?” and I tell her, “If I knew that 100 million people were going to see it, I would probably have worn a shirt.” I was radically surprised at the response. The truth is that I almost didn’t share the video. I had already been putting content out into the world with a pretty decent response. Once I got the idea for ‘Before You Call the Cops’, I recorded it, brought it back home, and edited it. I found myself looking at it thinking “This is just me talking about myself for two minutes. It feels self-indulgent. Who is going to watch this or even care?” I genuinely almost didn’t release it at all. I sent it to a friend of mine to watch it. She replied back and simply saying “This feels holy.”
That was enough to make me decide that maybe I would put it out into the world. I had no idea how much of an impact it was going to have on people. I just got an email yesterday from someone who said that they had never seen this video before, and it came across their feed today. It’s been three years since I released it and she felt a connection to me, to the black experience, and felt that it changed her on some level. Honestly, when you create content, you never know what kind of effect it is going to have. You hope it will have an impact. I’ve written songs all my life and it’s always incredible when people accept your songs, sing them back to you, or talk about how the song affected them. Every once in a while, you come across something that begins to impact people in a way that you never could have imagined—that was ‘Before You Call the Cops’ and my video ‘The playlist.’ I’ve put out a couple of things that have had an extraordinary effect on the lives of people and I could not be more thankful.
Q: What can you tell us about The Tyler Merritt Project?
A: I will tell you that even saying ‘The Tyler Merritt Project’ makes me a little giddy because of the community that has been built in it. There are so many people from all over the world that have associated themselves with TTMP. Originally the idea was to communicate love, education, hope, and encouragement with a sense of humor from a black perspective and a perspective that is different from theirs.
In March 2018, when I started The Tyler Merritt Project, I remember thinking “If by the end of the year, I have a couple thousand people following along who are interested in my videos and find encouragement through what I say, that would be incredible.” I would consider that a major, major win. Little did I know that ‘Before You Call the Cops’ would come out and 60 million people would see it in a few months. Through that, a group of individuals began to come together. Now, on Facebook and Instagram, it feels like a small family of people. It has become a community where I will talk about my best friend’s cat and share what my day was like, but then there are moments like the George Floyd verdict where I feel like I need to have an open moment with the community and really express something specific. Oftentimes, I will hop on and provide words of encouragement like ‘Hey… Just keep going!’ and a lot of times those words of encouragement are for me, but because there’s a community of people there, it becomes an encouragement for a community. It really is a beautiful thing. It is an amazing thing to have a project that is your namesake that compels love, encouragement, understanding, and belonging. It is a place I hope everyone wants to be.
Q: That’s wonderful! The impact you’re having on people is amazing. What are you currently working on? Will there be another book?
A: You get to break the news! I am currently working on a children’s book. I am SO, SO excited about it. I have such a heart for children. I don’t have any of my own. Maybe that is why my heart is so big for them? I’ve always had a heart for telling stories to kids. I was presented the opportunity to do a children’s book and am working on it now! I am so excited about it. It is a picture book. It’s going to be DOPE!
Will there be another book? Honestly, I’m just trying to see how the world is going to take in this one. I put my heart into I Take My Coffee Black in such a way that I am pretty nervous to see how the world is going to react. I knew when I wrote this book that I wanted to be transparent, honest, and real. I still debate on whether I made the right decision with that. If the readers can take that, and it is something that they want, then I would love to write another one.
I think you definitely succeeded with this book. It’s going to have a huge impact on so many people.
That’s awesome that I get to break the news about your children’s book! Congratulations! I can’t wait to read it. Thanks so much for taking the time to share a bit with my readers.
My review…
I’d never heard of Tyler Merritt prior to reading this book. I have also never seen the viral video referenced in the book. I read a hardcover copy of the book, but I’d love to listen to the audio version at some point, as I can only imagine how much more impactful the book would be hearing it from Tyler himself.
As a short white woman, I can’t begin to imagine many of the things Merritt has experienced in his life, including being judged solely on his appearance, namely the color of his skin, without someone having spoken a word to him. In that way, this book was quite eye opening. However, I could relate to his love of Bon Jovi! This book shows the reader that people, in general, have far more in common than we ever realize.
This book is unlike any other book I’ve ever read. It’s a mix of the author’s life experiences, a mix of joy and struggles. He includes a number of historical details I was unfamiliar with, and I appreciated that. Merritt is very transparent in sharing his story, and there were numerous places where he had me in tears (and some were from laughing). Reading this book was like sitting and having a personal conversation with Tyler. This is an emotional, and important, read.
Some of my favorite quotes:
– “Distance breeds suspicion. But proximity breeds empathy.”
– “Proximity to people who are different from ourselves can be a cure for racism.”
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.
Rules for giveaway can be found here.
I look forward to reading this book. Sound very interesting. I love books that tell about real life struggles and achievements. Thank you for the opportunity
You’re welcome. I think you’ll really enjoy it. Good luck, Heather!
I have made it a goal for myself to read more books like this to gain knowledge of others which has led me to empathy and understanding of what black people, Hispanic people, Asian people and more have had to live through. I have had so many eye-opening moments these past couple of years while pursuing this goal and have so much more to learn and so far to grow. This is why I want to read this book.
That’s a wonderful goal, Danielle. I try to do the same thing. I think you’ll enjoy this one. Good luck!