Lessons For Black Anarchists

Lorenzo and JoNina recount some of their favorite lessons from their time in the Black struggle. From the civil rights movement to the Black Power era, both Lorenzo and JoNina have internalized important lessons. They're sharing them here with young Black anarchists to make the important point that our actions matter just as much as our words. Theory is nothing without praxis. Listen and learn, and don't forget to support us on Patreon.

Lorenzo and JoNina offer a scathing criticism of today's Black nativist and reparations-based movements. In this episode, they unpack the reactionary politics and limitations of Black US nationalist movements like ADOS, FBA, and Black Voices for Trump. By pointing out their shared xenophobia and anti-Black sentiments, they talk about why it's important to build social revolutionary politics instead. Listen and learn, and don't forget to support us on Patreon.  

Co-host Lorenzo Komboa Ervin interviews JoNina Abron-Ervin about her new book Driven by the Movement, which collects the stories of twenty rank-and-file people in the Black liberation struggle between 1965 and 1975. These activists came from across the US and all walks of life--single working mothers, clergy, students, teachers, military veterans--to organize against police brutality, poverty, hunger, substandard schools, and colonialism. Listen as JoNina recounts her struggles bringing the text to wide publication and details what she hopes the project will accomplish.  Buy this landmark text on AKpress.org or wherever books are sold. And don't forget to support us on Patreon.   

Listen to Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin and JoNina Abron-Ervin speak with the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), one of the nation's few independent architecture schools. They discuss urbanism, architecture, and planning in a rare speculative treat. In part two of this two-part episode, JoNina talks about the significance of urban rebellions, the Kerner Commission, spatial deconcentration, and the killing of Yulanda Ward.  This event took place in front of the Mobile Architecture Platform Apparatus (MAPA), a bicycle-powered mobile archive of scanned building parts for co-envisioning new worlds out of dismantled old ones, part of the "Views of Planet City" exhibition at the SCI-Arc Gallery (September 13, 2024 – February 14, 2025).  You can watch the full video on Youtube with an introduction by John Cooper. Additionally, thanks to Theo Parrish for letting us use his track "Serengeti Echoes" in the show. 

Listen to Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin and JoNina Abron-Ervin speak with the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), one of the nation's few independent architecture schools. They discuss urbanism, architecture, and planning in a rare speculative treat. In part one of this two-part episode about rebuilding the city, Lorenzo recounts some of his educational history with urbanism, city planning, and local struggles organizing with the Black Autonomy Federation in Atlanta.  This event took place in front of the Mobile Architecture Platform Apparatus (MAPA), a bicycle-powered mobile archive of scanned building parts for co-envisioning new worlds out of dismantled old ones, part of the "Views of Planet City" exhibition at the SCI-Arc Gallery (September 13, 2024 – February 14, 2025).  You can watch the full video on Youtube with an introduction by John Cooper. Additionally, thanks to Theo Parrish for letting us use his track "Serengeti Echoes" in the show. 

On this episode, Lorenzo and JoNina reflect on the student protests in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. As veterans of many struggles prior, including the student and anti-war protests of the 1960s, they offer invaluable perspectives. Listen in as these movement elders discuss the history of the student movement, police brutality, counterviolence, and the limits of "rights." 

This episode was recorded live from the Institute for Social Ecology's 2023 Summer Intensive Course in Detroit. Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin, JoNina Abron-Ervin, and Modibo Kadalie reflect on their personal histories in the Black Power movement, and how their experiences in hierarchical revolutionary organizations - such as the Black Panther Party and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers - led them to anarchist/anti-authoritarian politics. Facilitated by William C. Anderson. Discuss this episode with your friends and family and, as always, support Black Autonomy on Patreon.

This episode was recorded live from the Institute for Social Ecology's 2023 Summer Intensive Course in Detroit. Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin, JoNina Abron-Ervin, and Modibo Kadalie reflect on their personal histories in the Black Power movement, and how their experiences in hierarchical revolutionary organizations - such as the Black Panther Party and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers - led them to anarchist/anti-authoritarian politics. Facilitated by William C. Anderson. Discuss this episode with your friends and family and, as always, support Black Autonomy on Patreon.  

In this episode Lorenzo and JoNina discuss how US capitalism oppresses us through the housing crisis. They reflect on what's rent and housing mean in the context on the broader society and reflect on past defense tactics. Discuss this episode with your friends and family and, as always, support Black Autonomy on Patreon. 

This episode is about the Black anarchist struggle against prisons and state slavery. Lorenzo and JoNina discuss the relevance of overturning the entirety of the state apparatus in the struggle for prison abolition rather than stopping at mere reforms.