As Black As Resistance: Finding the Conditions for Liberation

by Zoé Samudzi, William C. Anderson, Mariame Kaba (Foreword)

The Democratic Party and the church—two institutions that rest on their spotty legacies on behalf of the disenfranchised—cannot save us. Arguing that Blacks have always been considered non-citizens in the United States, Samudzi and Anderson make the case for a new program of transformative politics for African Americans, one rooted in an anarchist framework. This is not a feel-good-and-make-peace book. With the passion of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me, the raw truth of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, and the revolutionary fervor of Emma Goldman’s timeless essays, As Black as Resistance shakes us from our slumber and energizes us for the road ahead.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Social Justice, Theory, Anti Racist, African American

129 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2018

Reviews

[zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant. It’s short yet incredibly comprehensive, breaking down and integrating a lot of complex concepts in a really accessible way. For example, in one single page, this book offers one of the most nuanced explanation of gun control debates I’ve ever read — simultaneously recognizing that guns have been used for self defense in Black communities, that Black people have never truly had the “right to bear arms” in the US, and that gun control reform has mostly focused on regulating Black people’s access to guns, while still making space to acknowledge the links between gun violence and intimate partner violence and the limitations of relying on guns to protect/defend Black communities. To be able to seamlessly integrate all of these ideas so concisely demonstrates the wide breadth of the authors’ knowledge. The final chapter offered really important critiques of the nonprofit industrial complex, liberal/centrist reformism, and cults of personality around “movement leaders” — making a strong case for horizontal, autonomous organizing. I’m definitely going to start recommending this book to folks who are newly radicalized or seeking to become radicalized.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a worthwhile read and a book presenting a perspective that I completely agree with and support.

That said, I was disappointed. Perhaps my hopes were too high for this short book, but it didn't accomplish what I hoped it would. Will it accomplish what you hope? That depends what you're hoping for. If you're hoping for a fresh articulation that the United States is built on the oppression of black people (and indigenous nations and women and trans folks, etc. - the book is wonderfully intersectional), and that the "non-citizen" position of black folks in this country primes them for an "anarchistic" rebelliousness to U.S. authority, then look no further.

However, if you're already well-versed in the crushing reality of the oppressive forces of white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, and the history of our various rebellions being crushed, then you're probably looking for a way out, and a way forward. In that case, I'm not sure this book offers a great deal of direction, or crucially, VISION. In these radical times, as capitalism sputters and various reactionary and authoritarian forces emerge to offer comfortable scapegoatism, I believe the opportunity exists for a coalescing vision which could unite the rebellious and offer a way to construct a better world - or at least a glimpse of what a better world might look like. This book does not do that. It hints at it, in brief passages, but lacks the ambition (and the great vulnerability) of committing to a visionary path.

Is this a fair critique? Perhaps not, because a reader's expectations for a book rarely line up with what the authors actually seek to accomplish. That said, this book does cite several other works which provide more focused and programmatic visions, so maybe read those first instead - "Ecofeminism" by Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva, and especially "Anarchism and the Black Revolution" by Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin.

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This system was not designed for us, it was built on top of us. Our destruction is built into it, but our liberation can be built from its downfall. It is here that finding the resilience of anticapitalist politics in ourselves and applying them to nature and the environment will guide us naturally. We are not in need of a perfect sectarian model of how to accomplish the building of new anticapitalist communities. That much will be worked out on individual bases according to when, where, and who is building. What we need now is to educate ourselves and our communities to the point that this common goal is understood."

[Rosa K · Rating 5 out of 5]

So incredibly comprehensive and timely. Goes succinctly and substantively into the Black Radical Tradition. Please give it a read ❤️👍.

[b · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book came in a pamphlet version that Black Americans could be given to return to when necessary. The organization of the text is stunning - it reads as a historical indictment of the US's past, a nonlinear read of an ongoing black liberation struggle, and leaves the future only to our imagination. It is addressed to and as "us" and "our," in ways that are uplifting as much as heartbreaking, and ties in more recent texts and theories of intersectional queer, ecological, economic, historic, and aesthetic imaginings toward liberation.

Though not much of the information in this text was new, it's effectiveness as a sourcebook is phenomenal. It leaves room for the imagination, and asks readers to think of the definitions they have internalized when thinking about "anarchy," "freedom," and "liberation." It is short enough to serve as grounding and helpful, but packed enough to contain the emotion and turmoil of this ongoing struggle. Grateful I finished this on election night, and grateful to have these reminders of the past and future not yet actualized.

[Theodore · Rating 4 out of 5]

albeit on the shorter side, this was a great offering to the discourse of anarchy and to oppression at large. especially from a black, brown and indigenous perspective. this book does good at expressing how we as collectively can make transformative changes that will improve the lives of the many over
the few.

"we are not ready to fight because we love fighting. we are ready to fight because we are worth fighting for."

[Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

[5 stars] Black abolitionist organizing theory, rooted in intersectional and anarchist analyses. It’s relatively short but packs a punch. Outlining the harms that electoral politics, nonprofit structures, and capitalist systems cause Black people and communities (and especially against Black cis women, trans and queer people, disabled folks, and migrants), Samudzi and Anderson challenge readers to vision and create autonomous structures outside the purview of the state. I enjoyed being pushed to the edges of my comfort zone around anarchism, and really appreciated how much liberatory political theory the authors offered in such a short space. Highly recommended for those wanting to learn more about anarchism from a Black intersectional perspective or anyone familiar with introductory-level abolitionist reading / writing looking to take their knowledge to the next level.

Goodreads Challenge: 4/60
Reading Women Challenge: about social justice
Popsugar Reading Challenge: from a Black Lives Matter Reading List
Bookriot Read Harder Challenge: about anti-racism
Black Women Reading Challenge: by an abolitionist or activist author

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, quick read!

[Leaving_Marx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book. Would recommend to anyone whose interested in anarchism and has previous knowledge of black liberation writings as this is a good intro to anarchism through a black liberation lens.

[Dr. Breeze Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative and critical read

Anti-Blackness is framed through the Black Radical Tradition and the critical questioning of what it means to be free and liberated without capitalism. Black liberation must be anti-capitalist because of the long history of racial capitalism that has negatively affected Black folk. I also appreciated the section about the history of guns and how Black people have protected themselves as gun owners since the state was never there to protect us anyway. The re-articulation of ‘non-violence’ as not PASSIVE, but on the condition that it doesn’t mean Black people aren't going to raise arms to fight back was good. The authors strip away the romanticized version of white liberals only focusing on ‘non-violence’ as if it means we Black folk can never go up in arms to fight oppression.
I think it’s a necessary read for mainstream in the USA who really don’t understand how anti-Blackness operates and how Black liberation isn’t possible through capitalism.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Is the American Revolution the singular, purposefully romanticized tale of wealthy landowners refusing taxation and splitting from the British crown? Or is there another potential American revolution that has yet to occur?
It is deeply ironic that we are taught the glories of the U.S. birth through revolutionary resistance to the British empire but are told today we must not resist, must not be revolutionary, and need to resolve differences through “reasoned dialogue” and civic engagement. Equating a revolt to escape unfair monarchical taxes to real revolution is a perversion of the concept of “revolution” itself.”

“When movements become tax-deductible and antiracist politics are reduced to a “Donate Here” button or a T-shirt, what is there for those wielding oppressive power to really be worried about? Or when the murky morality of “conscious consumerism” lulls us into falsely believing that purchasing a product or not is a systems-shifting action. It makes the activist feel better but does little to elevate the pain of the oppressed.”

“Petitions, donate buttons, letters, hashtags, phone calls, and marches are surely ways to raise awareness and consciousness, but when these methods are used as the primary or even sole means of combat, we should begin to see them as more than just counterproductive. They can foster complacency and even serve as deterrents themselves.”

“The stranglehold of oppression cannot be loosened by a plea to the oppressor’s conscience. Social change in something as fundamental as racist oppression involves violence. It is a myth that our enemies will love us or value us more as people if our appearance and behavior are more respectable, dictated by liberal sensibilities.”

“Meaningful self-defense means organizing sincerely and seriously in a world that overemphasizes symbolic victories.”

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When we allow Democratic Party leaders to position the party as the moral authority against a worse party, we risk condoning all of what the “less evil” candidate represents. We participate in and perpetuate this cycle of disempowerment. The Democratic Party has grown increasingly conservative over the years due to this policy of compromise and lesser evilism. The party shifts to the right because it doesn’t seek to portray itself as real opposition, but only an easy and un-alienating alternative.”

A great exploration of the history of Black resistance, anarchism, and political power. It’s a short read, but full of information. I learned a lot!!!

[Darrell Kinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong introduction to thinking about human liberation outside of the lens of liberalism. Utilizes theories of anti-blackness and anarchism to elucidate a strong indictment of using the politics of liberalism as a vehicle for liberation. This book mainly poses problems which it doesn't attempt to solve. I strongly recommend this book as a beginning to thinking about race and colonization, but look elsewhere for alternative political organizations because this book doesn't present much in terms of organization or praxis (which is fine, as this book encourages one to look qt systems in general with strong eye of skepticism). As an anarchist critique it works.

[Pres. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, brief argument and explanation for the continued radical struggle against racist white supremacist capitalism and the continuously failing American state. The breakdown of Black self-defense in the face of white and state violence and the short analysis of how neoliberal capitalism co-opts and derails revolutionary/progressive movements through funding, woke trends online, etc. in the last 2 chapters is needed.

[Alyssa Mawussi · Rating 4 out of 5]

yay anarchy!

[kingsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

an incisive treatise great for the sympathetic reader in accessible form. the breadth and deftness in such a compact book is admirable although a bit under-supported and less convincing in some parts as a result. overall, offers a lot to chew on but just left me wanting more depth and synthesis of the history and political praxis that threads the book together.

[Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous, poignant and incisive read that addresses topics of Black oppression, citizenship, and liberation. Both critiquing existing methods of rebellion and offering thoughtful solutions and alternatives, Zoé Samudzi and William C. Anderson highlight the essential facts of living while Black in the United States—that Blacks are treated much more like subjects of an empire rather than citizens of a state (similar to the argument in Chris Hayes’ “Colony in a Nation”). Samudzi and Anderson argue against the nonprofit industrial complex and argue for community organization, specifically one committed to “interrogating the past, understanding how that past has enabled this present, and then imagining and beginning to actual use a future in meaningful material ways.” This book is empowering and enlightening, not just for Black readers but for anyone who is committed to Black liberation: as everyone should be, for none of us are free until all of us are free.

[Seth Shimelfarb-Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book more than most other books. Wide reaching and oriented in the right direction.

[Corvus · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a while since I felt that a book truly spoke my language. I read a lot of books about social justice, racial justice, feminism, and so on and while many of them are very good, I often leave feeling like they didn't quite match up with the level of unapologetic radical love that I was hoping for. As Black As Resistance by Zoé Samudzi and William C. Anderson really carved out a space in my heart while reading it. The book is short, but is not what I would call a short read. It is rather academic so it required me to take my time. I usually have some pretty strong critiques about academic social justice focused writing. Aside from accessibility to the masses, the biggest one is that a ton of academic texts I read aren't really saying much of anything. They often focus on talking big and self congratulation more than they do conveying a profound message. This book is not one of those academic writings. It is saying a hell of a lot and has a lot to offer in a very small space. Even though I know it would be a difficult read for some people, it is still a book I would hand out- especially as an introduction to... well... everything in the United States.

Samudzi and Anderson really wrap up a lot of topics into this small space and they use the voices they have quite well. They do not fall into the trappings that some books with a focus do where they leave other topics or the most marginalized people of the centered demographic behind. This book lifts up Blackness and centers the most oppressed Black people (Black women, LGBTQ people, etc.) At the same time, they leave no one else behind. The authors exemplify the "trickle up" system of resistance in which fighting for the most affected by systemic issues of oppression always positively affects everyone. The authors are direct, unapologetic, passionate, and fierce and at the same time there is a thread of great love and kindness woven throughout their writing. They do not attempt to ease the reader into the reality that the United States is a place of great horrors. Even if you are a person who is already familiar with many of the topics and much of the information in this book, I am going to guess that- like me- you will find it refreshing to read something so unapologetic that is, for once, not trying to couch what it is saying in something else. Dismantling white supremacy requires dismantling the United States, Black people (and some other oppressed groups) lack true citizenship and rights in the United States, slavery and settler colonialism are still present today and will be for as long as the United States exists. Period.

The section on self defense was my favorite part of this book. Part of this was because it was the part that really exposed me to things written in a way that I had not seen much before. But, part of it was because it was so empowering. Samudzi and Anderson tackle the historical inaccuracies about Black "nonviolent" resistance. They include quotes from W.E.B. DuBois, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King Jr, and others all of whom defend the use of guns and violence for self defense. They also tackle the idea sometimes promoted by white manarchists that all fighting or violence is automatically self defence or justifiable. The writers take on a nuanced critique of violence and self defense in a way that calls attention to the critical need for communities to defend themselves and to not allow white washed rhetoric and false histories of nonviolent civil rights movemements be used to pacify them.

Even if you are a person who struggles with more academic writing, this is one that is worth grabbing your dictionary or google for and giving a shot. The authors also have a lot of footnotes where they do define many concepts and subjects, but some folks who are unfamiliar with anarchism or far left racial justice will still need help. It's worth it. This book is definitely one I will recommend to people for years to come.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been following Zoe Samudzi's writing for the last two years and her pieces about white womanhood are my go-tos to send to friends when we talk about white women, etc. and I also really like William C Andersons pieces as well, although I don't pay as close attention to his writings. I had really high expectations for this book going in. It's a surprisingly pretty book given that it is a paperback. I like how the book plays uses font and the pictures throughout the book just create kind of an immersive vibe. Like most first books by first-time authors, the book can have inconsistent pacing and organization.

Beyond that, this book is so relevant to the current moment. This week we are dealing with child cages and we are watching the genuine energy from people wanting to do something get co-opted and siphoned into institutions that will never solve or even lessen the issue. This is a pattern that is explained in the first and last sections of the book. While the first and forth sections are perhaps more immediately relevant to movements right now, the second and third sections are incredibly grounding (is that a pun?) and things that we need to incorporate more into our politics. The second section in particular, on land, settler colonialism, and environmentalism, was filled with info that was fairly new to me, but since reading it everything I come across has constantly been reminding me of the section.

Though the book describes itself as one that is not "feel-good," I think reading it made me feel "good" in a way- I guess it's like the moment someone affirms you after you've been gaslit for so long. Something clicks and you feel less "crazy" and things start to feel clearer and more defined.

[Alonzo Vereen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book right when I needed it, but held off reading it for weeks. This reticence I have about starting highly-anticipated texts is becoming a trend I need to interrogate. Shit is for the birds. But I’ve digressed.

As Black as Resistance provides much of the language and many of the perspectives needed for successfully dismantling our “U.S. settler colonial project.”

It teaches, in a series of succinct and precise declarations, how anarchy is indistinguishable from the black experience; the necessity of self-defense by way of firearms; and a more critical way of rethinking our relationship to resources (land, money, technology, the environment, etc.) so as to avoid reclaiming and repurposing it in the false hope of gaining liberation.

The only thing I wish the authors had included were strategies for starting this necessary work. Unfortunately, they both make it clear that this book was not created to provide “a perfect sectarian model of how to accomplish the building of new anticapitalist communities.” Individual communities, they argue, must do this work.

Still, for any person in need of solid, foundational footing regarding what I hope will be the next phase of the Black resistance movement, this text is the go-to.

✊🏾

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick read that writes about the state of Blackness through an afro pessimistic lens, while also holding space for Indigenous people. This book is full of so many gems, every page is highlighted. If I wanted to sum up my political views for someone really quickly I could just hand them this book. Excited to read more by the authors.

[Rosenita Delva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read! We have to start imagining new ways to reach liberation.

[ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulls together an impressive number of types of resistance and revolution and synthesizes it into something more. Though they mostly come at revolution from an anarchist point of view, they take pains to write, "Commentary about the anarchistic nature of blackness is not necessarily advocacy for anarchist politics or ideology" (109).

The whole passage is worth quoting as it's really the gist of the book:

"Rather it describes a condition that might lend itself to a form of organization reflecting that tendency. Blackness itself is anarchistic as a result of Black exclusion from the social contract (and thus non-assimilation into the state). This existence and a reflexive understanding of our existence within a color-based caste system can predispose us to be more readily primed for radical politics, which include anarchist and anti-authoritarian ideas. Why not directly challenge the authority of oppressive political institutions when our social placement primes us to do so?"

And then on the following page (110):

"'Anarchism' is a misnomer, really, to describe a set of politics that challenges the necessity of systems and structures that we presume to be necessarily like the state itself, with hierarchical and authoritarian governance."

So a lot of the book rests on the ideas of for instance Orlando Patterson's Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study and Joel Olson's Abolition Of White Democracy (on the non-citizenship and "social death" of Blackness and Black folks in the United States), and the political analysis of Angela Davis (Are Prisons Obsolete? and Abolition Democracy: Beyond Prisons, Torture, and Empire especially) and George Jackson (Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson).

It's useful to see some of that being brought together. That said, at the end of the book still hasn't gotten very far in charting a new path forward (113):

"The myth of the arc of social progress flies in the face of the reality that our rights are being actively rolled back and continuously denied. Understanding the anarchistic condition of blackness and the impossibility of its assimilation into the U.S. social contract, however, could be empowering."

Perhaps that's the anarchistic, creative-chaos immanent to radical organizing (nobody wants to outline a five-year plan) but it does leave the book feeling a little unfinished. Nonetheless, a really good starting point.

[JRT · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Black liberation poses an existential threat to white supremacy because the existence of free Black people necessitates a complete transformation and destruction of this settler state.” This quote best exemplifies the tone of this book. It is a sharp, concise, and historically accurate assessment of how American depravity has shaped Black identity into an inherently revolutionary one. I enjoyed how this book weaved in Afropessimist logics with the tenants of traditional Black radicalism, as those two disciplines are often at odds these days. I also loved the section on Black and Indigenous rebellion, where the authors highlight the Second Seminole War as an example of the primacy of armed struggle.

Perhaps the most interesting section was the one that discussed the connection between Black identity and land. Here, the authors highlight the Republic of New Afrika’s (RNA) attempts to seize the Southern states of America as an internal Black Nation, and the potential conflicts this might create with the original inhabitants of those lands (Native Americans). While the authors don’t outright dismiss “New Afrikan” claims to these lands, they do make clear that any effort to achieve self-determination via land reparation and nationhood in North America must be done in conjunction and collaboration with Indigenous First Nations, otherwise Black people risk replicating settler logics and practices. This is surely a debatable, but an important point.

Throughout the book the authors make clear that Black liberation—by definition—signals the destruction of the USA. How could it not, as the USA exists on top of a foundation of Black domination and oppression. In making the point about the fundamental contradiction between Black liberation and America’s continued existence, the authors highlight their most basic thesis: that Blackness is inherently an “anarchistic” identity, in that Black people exist as instruments of exploitation, extraction and exclusion, and thus can never be assimilated into the social contract (i.e. the state). This antagonism with the state renders any reformist projects futile, and lends credence to the anarchist ideology and praxis. From the authors own words, “Blackness is anti-state just as the state is anti-Black.” This is a very good book, but I am left wanting more. There were definitely arguments that I thought could have been flushed out further. Nevertheless, highly recommended!

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any endeavor to write a book that cohesively articulates the history of anti-black oppression in America is a challenging one. Add on the task of weaving in a conceptual anchor, specifically conditions for liberation, and that endeavor gets even tougher. Samudzi and Anderson effortlessly execute on the first endeavor, but in my opinion, fall flat on the second. The authors are experts when it comes to the immense historical context of anti-black oppression and clearly display that throughout the book. However, when it comes to articulating the book's thesis, and even basic definitions of terms like black resistance, liberation, and anarchism, which percolate throughout the book, the reader is left searching for clarity.

The fourth paragraph is the strongest and served as an "aha!" moment, in which some points related to the book's thesis were clarified. Honestly, I feel like if the book had an introduction explaining the conceptual approach, or even if chapter four was made the introduction, many of the conceptual challenges within the first three chapters would have been mitigated. Regardless, many of the goals of the book were not accomplished for me. I did not develop a "healthy philosophy of self-defense" or learn about any contemporary ways of practicing self-defense rooted in love. I did not walk away any more clear about how to find the conditions for liberation and was provided no examples of how to do so moving forward.

In the last pages of the book, the authors articulate that finding liberation means interrogating the past, understanding how the past has created our present, and reimagining and actualizing a new future. They deliver on the first step of finding liberation, make very strong attempts at the second step, and leave a lot to be desired on the last.

[Philip Clapham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about 100 pages but took me about a month to read. It required, for me at least, a decent amount of meditation on the authors’ ideas and concepts. In short, the authors state that Black liberation won’t be accomplished by working within the capitalism framework as it presently exists in the United States.

Good points: unique ideas, strong well-states arguments and opinions, discusses historical events and figures that are both American and international

Would not give fifth star because parts of the book, notably swathes of the 2nd and 3rd chapters, were dragging. I think overall could have used more editing and more precise language and the book could have been probably half as long as it was. Maybe this is because I am a casual reader and this was written by Academics.

Another thing that would have been useful for me at least is more explanation of anarchism or anarchist framework as interpreted by these authors for this book. Similarly a more explicit explanation of the concept of “Blackness” and “anti-Blackness”

Finally, I will say I was hopeful the 4th and final chapter would reveal a more explicit roadmap for how the authors foresaw achievement of Black liberation. But alas it was not completely explicit. I don’t fault them for this though. Though not explicit, They do say very useful points though. Such as change need not be dramatic or instant, folks should organize horizontally and not feel need for traditional hiererachcal for organizational leadership, be wary of working within traditional liberal politics (such as having high expectations for non profits and hashtags and other “conscious consumerism”). And perhaps the most important point, don’t be deterred by calls for peaceful dialogue because the present oppression won’t be subdued or reformed with any effort that is short of radical.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it once, was like whoa! Read it again and was like WHOA. This book for me contains so many highlighting. First, their ideas are truly profound and revolutionary thoughts for me. Second, they then articulate their ideas in such a way that I'm forced to step back from the content at multiple intervals just to admire the writing style.

Things that really stuck with me per chapter:
1. Irony of revolutionary history of the U.S. and revolutionary movements being shut down now, the Democratic party, lesser of two evils
2. settler colonialism, the creation of the state of Israel being both European anti-semitism and the continuation of settler colonialism, environmentalism and overpopulation being a way to birth control black and brown women's bodies, gentrification and criminalizing homelessness
3. Damn -- this entire chapter! Self-defense is not violence, it is a means of survival. The peacefulness of civil rights movement = myth of white liberalism. How we should organize the movement. How any true libratory politics would speak to Black women and Black queer and transgender women. Why we are ready to fight.
4. The non-profit industrial complex, how we should structure movements to not be dependent on capitalism, what anarchy really means, how we should frame the work from here on out

[Sheehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using an anarchist lens to examine black liberation methods, this book contains a few essays which frame both where we are and where we need to be with respect to self-defense of communities to really exists outside and apart from a bent system of oppression.

I especially enjoyed the essay, "Grounds to defend on", which provided even more background and understanding of the need for armed deterrence to ensure that communities are not harmed. The essay addresses the historical move to disarm black communities, and problematizes the liberal deference to peaceful "respectable" protest as the only means of expressing dissent; rightly asserting that the sole thing stopping a white supremacist culture from wantonly assaulting black bodies is the implied threat of retribution and willingness, as the "other" existing outside of The Dream, to burn the whole American Experiment down. My description obviously simplifies a very cogent essay around the topic, apologies to authors.

Likewise, thank you Samudzi and Anderson, for the solid bibliography, I look forward to reading more about this specific topic going forward.

[Jalisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provide really great political education and analysis around the conditions necessary for Black liberation and why anarchism is a solution to the challenges of achieving liberation. I would definitely recommend this as one of the necessary primers to understand the structural conditions that shape the lives of Black people in the U.S. The authors provide really wide and seamless analysis in a slim book that I'm going to recommend to all my friends. In the past I've seen anarchism as chaos but this book really flips that on its head and provides a convincing argument that the only path to liberation in a state built on anti-Blackness, Indigenous genocide, transmisogny, etc. is to remove our support for it. So much of what I believed about non-violence, land ownership, capitalism, and sovereignty got flipped on its head from this book and I'll definitely be sitting with these lessons. Although they slightly address it in the end I would have liked the authors to provide more tangible tips for how to make the transition to another world real for the everyday person.