Introduction In August 1619, enslaved Africans touched foot in the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States. The centuries since witnessed the development of a racial system more violent, extractive, and deeply entrenched than any other in...
A weapon against radicalism: Debunking the myth of the conservative Black voter
Nina Turner’s loss, the primary results of Bernie Sanders, India Walton’s win—and then loss—the victory of Eric Adams, and the triumph of Cori Bush’s sit-in once again ignited the political discussion around the political make-up of the Black electorate. The general...
George Jackson’s “Blood in my eye:” A critical appraisal
This article accompanies our Liberation School study guide for George L. Jackson's Blood in my Eye. Originally from Chicago, Ill, George L. Jackson grew up in California. In 1961, a young Jackson convicted of armed robbery for allegedly stealing $70 from a gas...
Have Black lives ever mattered?
Mumia Abu-Jamal's book, Have Black Lives Ever Mattered? addresses the long history of racist police and state repression. It offers contemporary organizers crucial historical insights and lessons, as well as advice, on organizing to stop the war on Black America...
Hammer and hoe: Alabama communists during the Great Depression
Robin D.G. Kelley first published Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression in 1990, although he began working on it as a doctoral student in the 1980s. In the book, Kelley narrates the emergence of the communist movement in Alabama during the...
Reading Kelley’s “Hammer and hoe” as organizers today
This article accompanies Liberation School's new study guide for Robin D.G. Kelley's, Hammer and Hoe. As the re-popularization of socialism continues, the practical lessons today’s organizers can learn from the history of the communist movement in the U.S. become...
Black struggle is class struggle: A 4-part PSL course
This four-part digital course focuses on Black Revolutionary History in the United States and its central role in the development of U.S. society today. Last summer, tens of millions of people took to the streets in an unprecedented revolt against racism and police...
Liberation School Interview: Dr. Jared Ball on the myth of Black buying power
The 2nd installment of our Liberation School Interview series features Dr. Jared A. Ball on the topic of his 2020 book, The myth and propaganda of Black buying power (Palgrave Macmillan). Exposing the myth and marketing strategy that the path to freedom lies through...
Debunking an illusion inhibiting the Black Struggle: A review of Jared Ball’s new book
Introduction In the wake of the most recent rebellions against racism and police terror, there were widespread calls to “support Black businesses.” These calls were another reiteration of what Jared Ball demystifies in his latest book: The Myth and Propaganda of Black...