William C Anderson

Day 17 of #BlackHistoryMonth Black Theory:

William C Anderson

“Historically, I think European anarchists have been self-involved and focused on how they were/are right about the nature of the state in a way that actually limited their appeal. It may be arguable that state socialists were much more effective and thoughtful about bringing Black people and oppressed people of the world into their efforts. Now, that’s not to say that Black people were not met with hostility for bringing up historically what’s known as the race question or the [Black] question. There were certainly confrontations that had to be had around race and class that required Black Marxists to challenge conventional white state socialism and Marxism. So I consider, actually, those efforts are part of the legacy of Black autonomous radicalism too. That’s why I draw from an autonomous Marxist like C.L.R. James and my writing. Classical anarchism was not as effective in wrestling with that and it didn’t develop in the same way.….But Black anarchism isn’t a diversity effort or an effort for inclusion, because it draws influence from the experiences that precede it. Lorenzo was a former Maoist, Martin was a nationalist, former Black nationalist member of the Nation of Islam. Ojore Lutalo had been wrestling with Marxism before Kuwasi Balagoon brings him to anarchism. They didn’t completely discard classical anarchism. Lorenzo, for example, revises it in a way that we can observe parallels, the way that Marxism is revised in the Black radical tradition. What makes it so special is that Black anarchism does that with Marxism too. That’s an important thing to know: it does that with Marxism, with Black nationalism, and with anarchism. So, in my opinion, because of the way it challenges all of those forms, it transcends the left almost entirely. It rises above conventional leftism. That makes it special. That’s how I’m reading it in this book, it is one of the only places on the left where this confrontation and these revisions happen in so many ways that it actually creates something transformative that shows us how to rise above conventional historical leftisms, and dogma and orthodoxy, to think about creating something completely new. I think that that’s really beautiful. That’s why I’m so just blown away by the writings of Black anarchism, the thinking and the way that they were approaching the left, and the way that they were approaching Black Power and thinking beyond. I think that that’s a beautiful example.” Interview with The Final Straw Radio, 2022

“I think the narrative that’s been created around the slave trade that you can actually see historically and in many forms of white nationalism, that we are royalty fallen from grace, and that we need to reclaim that royalty. It feeds into iterations of Black capitalism that we see now. That’s why I bring both up. Because I don’t think that you can separate the two. You have someone saying that we’re descended from kings and queens and that we come from royalty. What they’re doing is they’re feeding into the idea that wealth and royalty are what gives someone worth and value. So that’s not something that you can separate from Black capitalism now, which argues the same thing in many ways, saying that by accumulating or having large amounts of wealth, we’re going to be free, and that we’re going to be liberated.” Interview with The Final Straw Radio, 2022

“So, Black autonomous radicalism, Black anarchism helps us to see that the people who know what needs to be happening are the people who are in those conditions, the people who are actually in their communities. It’s not just about the famous activist, it is not just about the celebrity. It’s not just about the famous revolutionary. That’s another point I try to make the text because I think that a lot of leftists would have a critique of a celebrity in “stan” culture and these cultish relationships that people have with certain celebrities, but they have those sorts of relationships with dead revolutionaries and people who they’ve turned into saints, and people who they’ve turned into infallible politicians and leaders of the past. They look at these people, and they have a fandom of their own, with regard to the way that they view history, and they treat their favorite historical figures as perfect, flawless characters that are unquestioned because of their historical fame and their noteworthiness with regard to revolutions of the past and efforts and fights of the past, that also escape critique because of their fame and the way that we regard them in this fantastical, mythological way.” Interview with The Final Straw Radio, 2022

“Politics that can conceive liberation only through the nation-state apparatus cannot truly serve people who always fall outside of its considerations. Those who are the most marginalised are not being liberated by the state forms that have only ever killed, excluded and kicked them around. Poor people, stateless people, migrants and oppressed people of all sorts are rendered disposable by the world’s ruling classes. Radical transformation looks like power directly in the hands of people themselves, without minimising diversity in the name of borders, citizenship, and homogenising national identities.” State Reform Isn’t Enough, Our Times Demand Black Anarchism

“Sostre is one reason that I see Black anarchism as a part of politics and history that’s not so nebulous it becomes incoherent. Rather, it’s realistic enough to hold the weighty truth of difference that has regularly gotten lost historically in the wills of individual leaders claiming to represent ‘the people’. The people are the people themselves, not a rhetorical football for whomever hopes to make use of them. We are all part of ‘the people’. We are fighting for an existence where there are no states to deport, dispossess, murder, detain, imprison, pollute and police us on behalf of the ruling elite of the world. We’re talking about destroying the machinery of oppression, not renaming it or repurposing it so that it can be used to oppress again. That’s why for me, Black anarchism means moving away from and transcending all leftisms inundated with oversimplified ‘either/or’ sectarian binaries. We are struggling for something much greater. There’s a way out. It’s an exit sign I’m pointing at – don’t get stuck staring at my finger.” State Reform Isn’t Enough, Our Times Demand Black Anarchism

“There has to be something or someone to nourish, protect, bailout, educate, house and provide healthcare for those in need, since the state is clearly more interested in killing those it deems undeserving of care and aid. That someone is all of us. And all of this should be done in ways that directly challenge the capitalist logic of moneymaking and profiteering. These are rights that we are afforded by birth, not something we should have to be able to afford based on the state of a manipulated economy. These priorities must come first, not the securities of the rich and their hoarded wealth, while others perish from poverty. With tens of millions of people unemployed, the US government gave people crumbs, while at the same time bailing out the banks and corporations with trillions of dollars to survive a crisis they helped create. A lack of universal healthcare forced the most vulnerable; the poor; Black people; Native people; people of color and others to bear the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. Desperation is evidenced by the so-called “looting” in the midst of uprising. People will take as they please because that is the precedent the state had already set, extracting from the poor so the rich can grow richer. It is the effort to reclaim what has been taken from us year after year without giving anything in return that is now shaking the foundations of this country. We can change this reality.” We Defend Ourselves So We Can All Breathe in Peace

“Now, as the government forces people back to work, it is clear that our labor is a crucial organizing tool. The need for a general strike is extremely relevant. Lorenzo Komboa Ervin also addressed this need, saying that “[the] general strike can take the form of industrial sabotage, factory occupations or sit-ins, work slowdowns, wildcats, and other work stoppages as a protest to gain concessions on the local and national level.” Since our labor is important enough for us to risk our lives during a pandemic, it should be withheld until people have what they need. This can happen in sync with all of the other actions taking place. Massive efforts to provide political education to everyone possible are needed. People must be organized and politicized to harness the power we have when we work together. This is not about leadership, voting, or pleading away the problem. If that worked, we would not be here to begin with. As Lucy Parsons once wrote, “There are actual, material barriers blockading the way. These must be removed. If we could hope they would melt away, or be voted or prayed into nothingness, we would be content to wait and vote and pray.” However, none of this is going to be easy; none of this transformation I speak of here will just be allowed to happen. We all have to find our place and our purpose whether we are teaching, planning, organizing, caring, cooking or creating art. Not everyone will be in the streets, but some will, and people should not do anything they are not ready, trained, or prepared to do. There is not a single correct way to protest, and authorities will attempt to divide us by trying to shift blame to those who embrace radical tactics, as Black people have done historically. We can all learn new things, but we should be aware that this is not about any of us as individuals, it is about all of us together. Actions need to be motivated by our collective needs, rather than a single person’s wants. May that guide our thinking as we move forward. Channeling Ella Baker, abolitionist educator and activist Mariame Kaba has told us to figure out who our people are. We have to know who we are accountable to, what our people’s needs are and have a purpose in every action we take. Do not sit back, wait and complain. It is time to defend ourselves and each other. If you understand the revolutionary importance simmering in this pot of revolt, then find your place and start doing something to assist these actions in any way possible. The conflict is at our doors, but keeping them closed will not shield anyone from the stench of a rotten society far past its expiration date. Help clear the air so everyone can breathe in peace.” We Defend Ourselves So We Can All Breathe in Peace

Links:

Writings -

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/category/author/william-c-anderson

Website -

https://williamcanderson.info/

Books -

The Nation of No Map

https://dokumen.pub/the-nation-on-no-map-black-anarchism-and-abolition-9781849354349-9781849354356-1849354340.html

https://archive.org/details/william-c.-anderson-the-nation-on-no-map-black-anarchism-and-abolition-ak-press-2021

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/65961610/full-download-the-nation-on-no-map-black-anarchism-and-abolition

As Black As Resistance

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/zoe-samudzi-and-william-c-anderson-as-black-as-resistance