Overview

Forty minutes on February 21, 2019, changed Anjanette Young’s life forever. Her story made national news for months after it broke: A forty-eight-year-old social worker was winding down at home after a long day of work when police broke into her apartment with a faulty warrant and incorrect information. With guns drawn and flashlights shining, twelve cops converged in her home, demanding that Anjanette put her hands up, despite the fact that she was in the middle of changing her clothes. Naked and terrified, she watched as men in tactical gear ransacked her home.

The trauma from that night was devastating, but somehow Anjanette emerged a different person with a new purpose—to serve as voice for the voiceless, particularly those facing injustices by the very people meant to protect them.

In Past the Pain, Anjanette tells her story—of what happened that night, what came next, and most important, how others who experience trauma can draw on these lessons to move forward in their own stories. She shares advice from her beloved and respected therapist, Alicia Troff-Meade, designed to bridge the gap between simply reading about healing and actively engaging in it. And Anjanette details how, through the support of her church and her community, and by reconnecting with her legacy as the granddaughter of a civil rights activist who marched with Dr. King, she realized that God was truly with her, and she began to forge a future that is not dictated by trauma but empowered by resilience.

As a social worker and advocate, Anjanette shares practical insights for others to push past their trauma to find purpose and avoid burnout, engage in self-care, and protect their emotional and physical energy when working in social justice and advocacy support.
 

Reviews

“Anjanette’s testimony is clear: God, and God alone, preserved her life. In this courageous book, Anjanette refuses to let trauma have the final word. Her story is more than one of survival amid the injustice she suffered at the hands of a broken system. It is a witness to the keeping power of God. This is not only a testimony of her resilience but also an invitation to healing, offering wisdom from a professional therapist along with spiritual reflection for anyone searching to make sense of God’s presence in the midst of traumatic experiences. I commend Anjanette for telling the truth, and admonishing us that even in the darkest of valleys, God is there and can turn what the enemy meant for evil into good.” —Dr. Charlie Dates, Senior Pastor, Progressive Chicago and Salem Baptist Church
 
“Anjanette Young understands that our silence will not protect us. In the face of trauma and cruelty, her willingness to speak truth to power, her courage, her resilience, and her advocacy are an inspiration.” —Eve L. Ewing, Associate Professor, Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity, University of Chicago, and New York Times bestselling author of Original Sins

“Anjanette does not just recount the narrative of the profound injustice she endured, though that is important enough in its own right. She uses her story to chart a journey through, from pain to healing and advocacy for others. Grounded in the faith that gave her strength to overcome impossible odds, she provides all of us with the necessary tools to dismantle unjust structures.” —Esau McCaulley, PhD, Jonathan Blanchard Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Theology, Wheaton College, and author of How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South

“Anjanette remains relentless in her quest to make sure that no one else ever has to undergo the type of humiliation and degradation that she suffered at the hands of the Chicago Police Department. She bares her soul in this book and shows how she has chosen victory over victimhood. Even though I worked with Anjanette throughout this horrific ordeal, I was again inspired by her strength, courage, and resilience while reading this harrowing account. Anjanette is a hero and an advocate for justice!” —Keenan J. Saulter, Esq., former board vice chair, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
 

“For months, Chicago watched Anjanette Young’s story unfold on the nightly news. In Past the Pain, she shares her remarkable journey of courage and perseverance with dignity and grace in a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Chicago history and learn more about surviving a public trauma.” —Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune reporter and author of The City Is Up for Grabs
 

Author Biography

Anjanette L. Young is a licensed clinical social worker and graduate of the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago. She has shared her story with Dave Savini on CBS Chicago, Joy Reid on MSNBC, Soledad O’Brien on BET, and Gayle King on CBS Mornings, and coverage has reached the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, New York Times, and other national outlets. Anjanette has received many awards for her courage, including the Rosa Parks Award given by the Leaders Network of Chicago, and the CBS Chicago investigation into her story won a national Emmy. In 2021 Anjanette founded the I AM HER Foundation in honor of Breonna Taylor, with a focus on providing therapy and resources to Black girls and women. Rev. Dr. Brianna K. Parker is a faith leader, scholar, and data activist, and author of the book I Still Believe in the Black Church. The founder of Black Millennial Café and a leading expert on Black communities, Rev. Bri collects, teaches, and presents empirical data on Black communities’ concerns.