Anne Braden Program 2019 third session readings – internal

A note on the readings: Readings are provided free for use by participants studying in the Anne Braden Training Program for Anti-Racist Organizers, a noncommercial, nonprofit educational program. We encourage everyone to honor the emotional and intellectual labor of these authors by buying the works from which excerpts have been taken where possible. This is especially important as we all have white skin privilege and many of these authors are folks of color. When sharing any of these readings with your comrades, please also pass on this message.

If you’re struggling with reading, reach out to others in the group to read together, or get help on terms you’re struggling with. We’ve also created this glossary to support with key terms.

REQUIRED READINGS & AUDIO

Required: Building the World We Want: Anti-Racist Vision and Organizing Strategy

Readings

  1. Nick Estes, Liberation, last chapter of his Our History is the Future (12 page PDF)
  2. Liza Minno Bloom and Berkeley Carnine, “Towards Decolonization and Settler Responsibility: Reflections on a Decade of Indigenous Solidarity Organizing“, beginning with section 3 “Reflecting on lessons from organizing: a few guideposts”, from Counterpunch October 3, 2016 (11 pages)
  3. N’Tanya Lee, Cinthya Muñoz, Maria Poblet, Josh Warren-White, and Steve Williams on behalf of the LeftRoots Coordinating Committee, “Towards a Transformational Strategy”  from LeftRoots. Also at leftroots.net/towards-strategy (6 pages)
  4. Rachel Herzing, “Big Dreams and Bold Steps toward a Police Free Future,” from Rachel Herzing (5 pages)
  5. Alex Lee, Morgan Bassichis and Dean Spade, “Building an Abolitionist Trans and Queer Movement with Everything We’ve Got,” from Captive Genders (22 page PDF)
  6. Rebecca Solnit, Protest and persist: why giving up hope is not an option”, from The Guardian, March 13, 2017 (8 pages)
  7. Rural Organizing Project, “‘A Struggle for Our Lives’: Anti-Racist Organizing in White Rural and Working-Class Communities: An Interview with the Rural Organizing Project in Oregon” from Chris Crass ed., Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy (17 page PDF)
  8. Mijente, Free Our Future: An Immigration Policy Platform for Beyond the Trump Era, pp 1-6 (6 pages)

Video

  1. Chris Hedges, “The radical transformation of Jackson, Mississippi with Kali Akuno“, (interview) from “On Contact” on Russia Today, March 4, 2018 (30 minutes) Note: Chris Hedges is a Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF), and his views on transwomen are wrong. We believe Cooperation Jackson is an important model and appreciate the strength of Kali Akuno’s voice in this video so we are using it.
  2. Marilyn Buck – a Tribute from Freedom Archives. Recorded in 1989 when the late political prisoner was in a Washington DC jail (9 minutes)
  3. Kamau Walton, “What’s Wrong With Community Control of Police,” from Critical Resistance’s video series, Breaking Down the Prison Industrial Complex (5 minutes)
  4. Bill Moyers, Myles Horton – Radical Hillbilly – A Wisdom Teacher for Activism and Civic Engagement (interview), (from 1:10-1:42 – total of 32 minutes required, last hour recommended)

Required: Climate Change / Environmental Degradation

Readings

  1. Naomi Klein, excerpts from This Changes Everything (28 pages; PDF)
  2. Whitney Webb, “US Military is World’s Largest Polluter“, Mint Press News, May 15, 2017 (2 pages)
  3. Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project, From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Caring: A Strategic Framework for a Just Transition pp 14-28 required, rest recommended (15 pages)

Video

  1. Remembering Berta Cáceres, Assassinated Honduras Indigenous & Environmental Leader“, Democracy Now, March 4, 2016 (14 mins)

Required: Leadership Development / Personal Transformation / Accountability

  1. Barbara Ransby,  “Mentoring a New Generation of Activists: The Birth of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 1960-1961,” Chapter 8 from Ella Baker & the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision pp 239-273 (34 page PDF)
  2. Mia Mingus, “On Collaboration: Starting With Each Other,” Excerpts from the 5th Annual Queer & Asian Conference, “Collide, Connect, Create,” keynote address, delivered on April 28, 2012, Berkeley, California. (4 page PDF, also at leavingevidence.wordpress.com).
  3. Dismantling Racism Works, “Giving Feedback” from their Workbook for Social Change Groups (1 page PDF)
  4. Whites Confronting Racism Workshop (Lorraine Marino and Antje Mattheus), “General Tips on Addressing Conflict” from their workshop manual (1 page PDF)
  5. Brooke Anderson10 Tips on Receiving Feedback: A Guide for Activists” (on Medium.com)(6 pages)
  6. Bay Area Solidarity Action Team (BASAT), Protocol and Principles for White People Working to Support the Black Liberation Movement (2 page PDF)

Required: Resisting State Repression Webinar – Sunday, April 28, 4-6 pm PST

  1. Catalyst Project, A Troublemaker’s Guide: Principles for Racial Justice Activists in the Face of State Repression (about 15 pages of text)
  2. Freedom Archives, COINTELPRO 101 (23:26-45:00 required, rest highly recommended)

Required Poems

  1. Marge Piercy, “The birthday of the world” from The Crooked Inheritance (2 pages)
  2. Louise Erdrich, “ADVICE TO MYSELF: #2 RESISTANCE,” from Women and Standing Rock (2 pages)
  3. Marge Piercy, “The Low Road,” from The Moon Is Always Female (1 page)
  4. Mario Benedetti, “Why do we sing?” (1 page)
  5. adrienne maree brown, “harriet is a north star” from adriennemareebrown.net, September 2017 (3 pages)
  6. Otto Renee Castillo, “Before the Scales, Tomorrow” (1 page)
  7. Suheir Hammad, “open poem to those who rather we not read… or breathe,” from Born Palestinian Born Black (2 pages)
  8. Ruby Ibarra Feat. Rocky Rivers, Klass, and Faith Santilla, “US” (5 min music video, lyrics can be found here)  

Total pages including webinar and poems: 202
Total minutes: 113 (1 hour 53 min)

RECOMMENDED READINGS & VIDEO

Recommended: Visionary Politics

  1. Angela Y. Davis, “Abolitionist Alternatives,” from Are Prisons Obsolete? (8 page PDF).
  2. Ai-jen Poo, “Transformative Organizing Theory,” from Transformative Organizing Panel at the U.S. Social Forum, 2010.  (Video; Ai-jen begins at 10:43 and ends at 21:05). (Transcription: 3 page PDF).
  3. Audre Lorde, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” in Cherrie L. Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa eds., This Bridge Called my Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. (2 page PDF).
  4. Generation Five, “Chapter 2,” from Toward Transformative Justice: A Liberatory Approach to Child Sexual Abuse and other forms of Intimate and Community Violence, A Call to Action for the Left and the Sexual and Domestic Violence Sectors(7 page PDF)
  5. Michelle Mascarenhas-Swan, “A Window to a New World”  from Climate Connections, January 13, 2010 (5 page PDF).

Recommended: Personal Transformation

  1. Ng’ethe Maina‘s presentation at the Transformative Organizing Panel from the US Social Forum, 2010 (Video: the first 10 minutes, 45 seconds).
  2. Catherine Jones, “Love Letter to Common Ground Clinic” (4 page PDF).
  3. Yashna Maya Padamsee, “Communities of Care, Organizations for Liberation”  (2 pages).
  4. Tema Okun, “From White Racist to White Anti-Racist: The Lifelong Journey”, dRworks (16 page PDF).
  5. Ejeris Dixon, “Our Relationships Keep Us Alive: Let’s Prioritize Them in 2018” from truth-out.org (7 pages).

Recommended: Anti-Racist Organizing Strategy

  1. Rachel Herzing, “‘Tweaking Armageddon’: The Potential and Limits of Conditions of Confinement Campaigns,” from Social Justice vol 41 n 3 (7 page PDF).
  2. Ai-jen Poo, “Lessons from the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights Campaign in New York” (6 page PDF, also at www.leftturn.org/Organizing-with-Love).
  3. Vermont Workers’ Center, “The People’s Recipe,” from “Vermont People’s Convention for Human Rights” (1 page PDF).
  4. B Loewe, “White Anti-Racist Organizers in Working Class Communities of Color: an interview with B Loewe of the Latino Union of Chicago,” interview by Chris Crass (11 page PDF).
  5. Dan Berger,Chokwe Lumumba and Black Nationalist Convergence,” from Black Perspectives, February 6, 2018 (3 pages).
  6. Program Demand Group of the Labor/Community Strategy Center, excerpt from “Toward a Program of Resistance” (3 page PDF).
  7. Dan Berger, Mariame Kaba, and David Stein “What Abolitionists Do,” Jacobin Magazine, August 24, 2017 (6 pages).
  8. Caitlin Breedlove interviews Dove Kent on Fortification Podcast episode 2 (audio on iTunes and Soundcloud) (32 minutes).
  9. Maria Poblet, “‘It’s Time To Lead Ourselves:’ An interview with Rosa Elva Tobías about Feminist Organizing in El Salvador”, Organizing Upgrade, March 8, 2018 (6 pages).

Recommended: Leadership Development

  1. Catalyst Project, “The 5 Gs: Tips for Leadership Development One on Ones” (1 page PDF).
  2. Sista II Sista, “Sistas Makin’ Moves: Collective Leadership for Personal Transformation and Social Justice,” from INCITE!: Women of Color Against Violence, eds., The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-profit Industrial Complex(12 page PDF).
  3. Chris Crass, “‘But We Don’t Have Leaders’: Leadership Development and Anti-Authoritarian Organizing,” from Chris Crass ed., Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy(7 page PDF).
  4. DataCenter, “Power Analysis: Types and Sources of Power and Leadership Styles” (7 page PDF).
  5. Alexis Shotwell and Chris Dixon of Punch Up Collective, “Getting It Together,” Briarpatch Magazine, February 26, 2018 (6 pages).

Recommended: State Repression

  1. Sarah Lazare, “The police state can come after Trump protesters, but it can’t make them cooperate,” In These Times, July 5, 2017 (6 pages).
  2. Democracy Now, “Private mercenary firm TigerSwan compares anti-DAPL water protectors to ‘Jihadist Insurgency’”, May 31, 2017 (60 minute video) and Democracy Now, “Part 2: Private security firm TigerSwan targets pipeline protesters in COINTELPRO-like operation” June 2, 2017 (22 minute video).
  3. Shanelle Matthews and Malkia Cyril, “We say black lives matter. The FBI says that makes us a security threat,” Washington Post, October 19, 2017 (3 pages).
  4. Zoë Carpenter and Tracie Williams, “Since Standing Rock, 56 Bills Have Been Introduced in 30 States to Restrict Protests,” The Nation, February 26, 2018 (5 pages).
  5. Democracy Now, “‘I Know No One More Patriotic’: Daniel Ellsberg Praises Chelsea Manning After She Is Jailed Again“, March 11, 2019 (10 minute video).

Recommended: Climate

  1. Indigenous Environmental Network, Indigenous Principles of Just Transition (4 pages).
  2. Ecology and Sovereignty: Native and Indigenous Perspectives Transcending Boundaries” recording of an event at Earth Week at The New School starting at minute 21 (100 minute video).
  3. Lewis Raven Wallace, “Poor southerners are joining the globe’s climate migrants“, Scalawag Magazine, January 21, 2019 (11 pages).
  4. Melina Laboucan-Massimo, ‘Oil on Lubicon Land’ – A Photo Essay , GreenpeaceCanada, June 17, 2011 (11 minute video).

First weekend readings | Second weekend readings