When I was first drafting a murder mystery about a group of political activists and dreamers, it occurred to me that “Part of the Solution” was the obvious title to use. I loved its double (actually, triple) meaning. It refers to the solving of the crime, which is a key moment in every murder mystery; the poisoned pickle brine – i.e. solution — that is an intended murder weapon; and, of course, the political slogan that hangs proudly over the altar in the church. But as I came back to the book to rewrite it after forty years (see my blogpost “The Journey Behind Writing *Part of the Solution* if you don’t already know that story.), I had qualms. I worried that my title represented a cultural appropriation.
Let me explain what that means and say why.
“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” is the shorter version of a quote by Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver.* For those who don’t know, the Black Panthers were a militant Black Power organization founded in Oakland, California in the mid-sixties that spread across the U.S. and internationally. Originally founded to resist police brutality, the Panthers went on to advocate for full employment, decent housing, criminal justice reform, and peace.**
The history of the Panthers and of the attempts by the FBI to destroy them is complex, and it’s not my point here to dig into that difficult history. Rather, I want to focus on my use of one of the Panthers’ most important slogans. The term ‘cultural appropriation’ refers to the inappropriate adoption of the traditions, ideas, images, and practices of marginalized people and groups by those with greater privilege. Examples include blond women wearing their hair in dreadlocks, upper-middle-class teenagers wearing ghetto fashion, or non-Native Americans decorating their windows with dream catchers. All those things can seem complimentary and positive. Still, they are also a way of usurping the hard-earned traditions and marks of proud identity that marginalized people have struggled to create and that more privileged people have not earned.
I worry that the title of my book is a similar form of appropriation. I have borrowed, you might even say stolen, a powerful slogan that came out of a struggle for justice waged by others. And I’ve used it as the title of a murder mystery, of all things. For all the political good will and earnestness of my characters, murder mysteries by their very nature treat the criminal justice system as a form of entertainment. There is something morally dubious in that.
Clearly, I decided to keep the title, and *Part of the Solution: A Mystery* is out in the world. I decided that, instead of changing the title, I would use the deeper meaning of the quote to whatever good effect I could. This is a moment in America – indeed, in the world – at which solutions seem few and far between and in which many people of good will are in despair about how powerless they feel.
I am currently making a series of short videos about how people are working to be “part of the solution.” Each video begins with me saying some version of “I just published a murder mystery set in 1978, and now, in 2026, I’m still wondering about how to be part of the solution. So I thought I’d ask around.” The people I’m talking with then talk briefly about one specific, concrete thing they are doing in order to be part of the solution. Some talk about a specific kind of political action, such as high school students serving as Youth Leaders for a local chapter of Amnesty International. Some talk about what they do at work, such as a worker advocate making sure that farmworkers know their rights. Some talk about conversations they have – encouraging good people to run for local office, or making sure that everyone at a meeting has a chance to be heard. Some talk about issues that are controversial, such as a Jewish woman deeply critical of Israel staying in dialogue with Jews who disagree, or a social service agency working, not only with the survivors of domestic violence, but also with the abusers. What matters to me in all these videos is that people have found a way to overcome their own despair enough do even one small thing to make a difference.
Stay tuned on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube as these videos come together. As I say at the end of each video, thank you. We are all in this together.
* Cleaver’s full statement was: “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.” [https://rozsits.unc.edu/items/show/567.html](https://rozsits.unc.edu/items/show/567.html)
** For the Panthers’ full ten-point program, see [https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/)
Let me explain what that means and say why.
“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” is the shorter version of a quote by Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver.* For those who don’t know, the Black Panthers were a militant Black Power organization founded in Oakland, California in the mid-sixties that spread across the U.S. and internationally. Originally founded to resist police brutality, the Panthers went on to advocate for full employment, decent housing, criminal justice reform, and peace.**
The history of the Panthers and of the attempts by the FBI to destroy them is complex, and it’s not my point here to dig into that difficult history. Rather, I want to focus on my use of one of the Panthers’ most important slogans. The term ‘cultural appropriation’ refers to the inappropriate adoption of the traditions, ideas, images, and practices of marginalized people and groups by those with greater privilege. Examples include blond women wearing their hair in dreadlocks, upper-middle-class teenagers wearing ghetto fashion, or non-Native Americans decorating their windows with dream catchers. All those things can seem complimentary and positive. Still, they are also a way of usurping the hard-earned traditions and marks of proud identity that marginalized people have struggled to create and that more privileged people have not earned.
I worry that the title of my book is a similar form of appropriation. I have borrowed, you might even say stolen, a powerful slogan that came out of a struggle for justice waged by others. And I’ve used it as the title of a murder mystery, of all things. For all the political good will and earnestness of my characters, murder mysteries by their very nature treat the criminal justice system as a form of entertainment. There is something morally dubious in that.
Clearly, I decided to keep the title, and *Part of the Solution: A Mystery* is out in the world. I decided that, instead of changing the title, I would use the deeper meaning of the quote to whatever good effect I could. This is a moment in America – indeed, in the world – at which solutions seem few and far between and in which many people of good will are in despair about how powerless they feel.
I am currently making a series of short videos about how people are working to be “part of the solution.” Each video begins with me saying some version of “I just published a murder mystery set in 1978, and now, in 2026, I’m still wondering about how to be part of the solution. So I thought I’d ask around.” The people I’m talking with then talk briefly about one specific, concrete thing they are doing in order to be part of the solution. Some talk about a specific kind of political action, such as high school students serving as Youth Leaders for a local chapter of Amnesty International. Some talk about what they do at work, such as a worker advocate making sure that farmworkers know their rights. Some talk about conversations they have – encouraging good people to run for local office, or making sure that everyone at a meeting has a chance to be heard. Some talk about issues that are controversial, such as a Jewish woman deeply critical of Israel staying in dialogue with Jews who disagree, or a social service agency working, not only with the survivors of domestic violence, but also with the abusers. What matters to me in all these videos is that people have found a way to overcome their own despair enough do even one small thing to make a difference.
Stay tuned on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube as these videos come together. As I say at the end of each video, thank you. We are all in this together.
* Cleaver’s full statement was: “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.” [https://rozsits.unc.edu/items/show/567.html](https://rozsits.unc.edu/items/show/567.html)
** For the Panthers’ full ten-point program, see [https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/)