Book Review: Anarchism and the Black Revolution - The Definitive Edition

 

Image: The cover of the book is an illustrated version of a black background with a gray paper on top of it. The paper has rips in it revealing every alternative letter as a different color. So, the title of the book and the author's name cover the entire cover in large capital letters. "Anarchism and the black revolutions"'s letters alternate between white and black and "lorenzo kom'boa ervin"'s letters alternate between red and black.

I actually began slowly meandering through a previous edition of this book many months ago. I had an ebook on my phone that I would dig into when I was out and about and didn't have another book handy. I wasn't far in when Anarchism and the Black Revolution: The Definitive Edition was released, so I grabbed a copy and switched over to that. The newest edition includes some extras: "...an interview with writer and activist William C. Anderson, as well as new essays, and a contextualizing biography of the author's inspiring life," making it worth revisiting even if you have read another version in the past.

As one can tell from the title and the blurb, this book merges together anarchism and Black liberation. It should go without saying that they shouldn't need to be merged because they are part of the same thing. Unfortunately, though, the reality that occurs as a result of a large majority of white people organizing: there is a critical need to carve out a space for Black people that is created and filled by Black people. Ervin is not just critical of white supremacy when it governs the actions of white people, including anarchists, though. He also has strong criticism of organizations like The New "Black Panthers," whose hierarchical structures make them unfit to use the name. He also discusses the unfortunate results of oppression such as when the oppressed turn their pain on one another through violence and other harms and offers solutions to deal with such phenomena.

What struck me most about this book while reading both the previous version and the new one is just how relevant everything in it remains. I am aware of the whole, "oppression doesn't disappear, it only changes shape," adage (though I always forget who a similar quote should be attributed to.) So, I won't say I am surprised necessarily that everything still applies. Yet, it is still striking to read Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin's assessments, and especially his predictions, and realize that they all were true and/or came true.

Another thing that makes this book standout aside from the subject matter itself is just how detailed Ervin's suggestions and guidelines are for creating a better world. They are also wonderfully ambitious. Many anarchist texts that end up being "how-to's" of sorts regarding the larger implementation of living in an anarchist world tend to focus more on smaller community structures. Ervin definitely does this. But, he also calls for international solidarity- an anarchist planet full of cultures and societies that organize among themselves as well as together across the globe. The idea is so daunting, but it makes sense. When one is left asking how it would even be possible, Ervin maps out various strategies and the importance of the methods in detail.

There are some things with room for improvement- I think that Ervin focuses a lot on the general ideas of race and class for good reason. I think he could have gone more into misogynoir, sexuality, disability, etc. There are also some parts that show Ervin's hubris. This is especially evident in the interview at the end of the book, but in a couple of other places as well. Ervin states that no one likely would have known about Black anarchism had he not written this book and that he was the only Black anarchist during the civil rights era. Aside from the fact that any claim that someone is the only one of something or the only source of information should be met with suspicion, Ervin himself  credited Martin Sostre for introducing him to anarchism and claimed he still didn't become one until the 70s. Some people also mention Lucy Parsons coming long before any of them, but it can be argued that her avoidance of the topics around racial justice does not make her a good comparison. I am not sure what prompted him to change his story in these ways, or if there is a misunderstanding on my part, but it was a strange move while calling for an anti-authoritarian worldwide movement of cooperation and solidarity.

Nonetheless, this book was and remains a critical part of any reading list for those interested in justice and liberation. I especially encourage those who are involved in racial justice, but who do not identify as anarchists or who see anarchism as a white movement, to give this book a shot. I think that when you give yourself an essay or two, you won't be able to put it down.

This was also posted to my goodreads.