Unpacking the History of the Black Radical Tradition

The Black Radical Tradition is a historical current of organized struggle rooted in socialist, Pan-African, internationalist, and decolonial politics that confronts racial capitalism, internal colonialism, and imperial domination. This session unpacks how that tradition has been systematically whitewashed and commodified, reducing revolutionary movements and figures into harmless symbols while erasing their politics, organizations, and strategies. We will examine concrete examples of organized resistance—from RAM and the Panthers to international solidarities with Haiti, Cuba, and Palestine—to assess how different tactics emerged from real material conditions and what they achieved in practice. The discussion will focus on how today’s movements, including PACA’s work for community control and Pan-African unity, must reclaim this lineage and build durable organization capable of resisting liberal cooptation and sustaining long-term struggles for liberation.

If you are in the DMV, please join us in-person at the Black Workers and Wellness Center, 2500 Martín Luther King Jr Ave, SE Washington DC.

Register to attend (both for in person and virtual) at: https://blackradicalhistory.eventbrite.com

Please wear a mask and don’t come if you’re sick!