The black radical tradition

A massive PDF compilation of writings about black radical and revolutionary movements in the US in the 20th century. This same reader is available in a cleaner format here: http://libcom.org/library/black-revolutionaries-us-communist-interventions-vol-3

Submitted by Steven. on February 2, 2015

This same reader is available in a cleaner format here: http://libcom.org/library/black-revolutionaries-us-communist-interventions-vol-3

It is a part of the Communist Interventions Series, edited by the Communist Research Cluster.

Contents

Black Reconstruction - W.E.B. Du Bois
What Socialism Means to Us - Hubert Harrison
An Appeal to the Conscience of the Black Race to See Itself - Marcus Garvey
Program of the African Blood Brotherhood - The African Blood Brotherhood
Report on the Negro Question - Claude McKay
Application for Membership in the Communist Party - W.E.B. Du Bois
The Negro Nation - Harry Haywood
An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman! - Claudia Jones
The Revolutionary Answer to the Negro Problem in US - C.L.R. James
Revolutionary Nationalism and the Afro-American - Harold Cruse
Is the Black Bourgeoisie the Leader of the Black Liberation Movement? - Harry Haywood with Gwendolyn Midlo Hall
The American Revolution - James Boggs
Message to Grassroots - Malcolm X
The 12-Point Program of RAM - Revolutionary Action Movement
Speech in Beijing - Robert F. Williams
Black Power - Stokely Carmichael
Beyond Vietnam - Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Pitfalls of National Consciousness - Frantz Fanon
The Correct Handling of a Revolution - Huey P. Newton
Power Anywhere Where There's People - Fred Hampton
On the Ideology of the Black Panther Party - Eldridge Cleaver
On the Defection of Eldridge Cleaver ... - Huey P. Newton
Prison Letters - George Jackson
White Blindspot - Noel Ignatin
Without a Science of Navigation We Cannot Sail in Stormy Seas - Noel Ignatin
Liberation Will Come from a Black Thing - James Forman
General Program (Here’s Where We’re Coming From) - League of Revolutionary Black Workers
From Repression to Revolution - Ken Cockrel
Black Women's Manifesto; Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female - Frances M. Beal
Reflections on the Black Woman’s Role in the Community of Slaves - Angela Davis
The Combahee River Collective Statement - Combahee River Collective
Negro National Colonial Question - Communist League
Critique of the Black Nation Thesis - Racism Research Project
Revolutionary Review: The Black Nation Thesis - Congress of African People
National Liberation of Puerto Rico and the Responsibilities of the U.S. Proletariat - Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization
Revolution, the National Question and Asian Americans - I Wor Kuen
Chicano Liberation and Proletarian Revolution - August Twenty-Ninth Movement

This was a preliminary PDF released for reading groups in Oakland and elsewhere by the Communist Research Cluster and Viewpoint Magazine, and forms a rough draft of what will become volume 2 of the CRC series Communist Interventions. Found on Google documents by libcom.org.

Attachments

Comments

Josh...

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Josh... on February 4, 2015

This has been posted a day after I hand in my civil rights coursework! better late than never I guess. ;)

But seriously cheers for posting it, I'll have a read later.

Steven.

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on February 5, 2015

This is proving insanely popular on social media. Which is good!

slebowitz

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by slebowitz on February 5, 2015

Hey, great that you guys posted this, but maybe you could add that (1) this is a preliminary PDF, released for reading groups in Oakland and elsewhere, and not wide-release the final version of the reader, (2) that this was a joint project of the Communist Research Cluster and Viewpoint Magazine, and (3) that it is the rough draft of what will become volume 2 of the CRC series "Communist Interventions"? The first volume, on European socialism and communism, is available on the Communist Research Cluster website (and maybe also already on Libcom?).

slebowitz

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by slebowitz on February 5, 2015

[removed second post]

arminius

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by arminius on February 6, 2015

I would think something by A. Philip Randolph and/or "The Messenger" should be in such a collection, no?

Steven.

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on February 6, 2015

slebowitz

Hey, great that you guys posted this, but maybe you could add that (1) this is a preliminary PDF, released for reading groups in Oakland and elsewhere, and not wide-release the final version of the reader, (2) that this was a joint project of the Communist Research Cluster and Viewpoint Magazine, and (3) that it is the rough draft of what will become volume 2 of the CRC series "Communist Interventions"? The first volume, on European socialism and communism, is available on the Communist Research Cluster website (and maybe also already on Libcom?).

cheers for pointing that out. I did try to find out online who put this together but nobody seemed to know. I just saw a random link to Google documents and thought I would grab it.

Yeah, we have the first volume of Communist Interventions up on here, look forward to you finalising the second.

I will update the above post. In future though if you see we haven't credited the source for something feel free to edit it and add it in yourself.

klas batalo

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by klas batalo on February 9, 2015

i also saw something about some folks from advance the struggle helping with this?

slebowitz

9 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by slebowitz on February 12, 2015

Yes, they did! They're collaborating on this volume. It's individuals from Endnotes, Viewpoint, and AS, as well as some independent others. The "communist research cluster" is a very loose collective of these. The text itself is being printed at a local anarchist press. There's a nice looking cover, which will come out with the final edition. And it's meeting in this huge social space, with about 60 people in attendance at the first meeting. If you want to set something up in your town/city/commune, get in touch. We're trying to get one started in NY, maybe other cities as well...

bentropy

9 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by bentropy on February 15, 2015

The organizers offered suggestions for six secondary texts (from which weekly supplemental readings are being recommended, as we go). Early in, I've already found the Shawki and especially the Robin Kelly quite helpful in fleshing out the historic context around the primary texts we're discussing from the reader. So, I wanted to pass this list along as these might add a lot value to this collection, especially for the less experienced reader who wants more background:

Robin D. G. Kelley, "Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination"

Erik McDuffie, "Sojourning for Freedom: Black Women, American Communism, and the Making of Black Left Feminism"

Cedric Robinson, "Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition"

Ahmed Shawki, "Black Liberation and Socialism"

Collier-Thomas, Franklin, eds., "Sisters in the Struggle : African-American Women in the Civil Rights-Black Power Movement"

Max Elbaum, "Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che"

CommunistResea…

8 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by CommunistResea… on January 12, 2016

An updated reader can be found here:

https://communistresearchcluster.wordpress.com/2016/01/12/release-of-reader-vol-2-on-black-revolutionaries-in-the-united-states/