Anarchist Panther: The Selected Writings of Ashanti O. Alston
We are thrilled to welcome Ashanti Alston, a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, and celebrate the publication of his selected writings.
One of the enduring legacies of the Black Power Era is the turn by some revolutionaries toward a politics that questioned hierarchical leadership, patriarchy, and the role of the state in social transformation. This practice came to define a distinct form of anarchism rooted in the Black experience. Ashanti Omawali Alston helped nurture and define this turn through his experiences with the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, and through social movement activity from the late 1960s to today. Anarchist Panther collects, for the first time, his thoughts that have influenced generations of radicals the world over.
These essays, interviews, and speeches trace Alston’s ideas and influences, including those on psychology, political prisoner support, feminism, the legacy of the Black Panther Party, the Zapatista rebellion, and Black anarchism. Edited alongside William C. Anderson and introduced by kai lumumba barrow, Anarchist Panther brings to life the beautiful movement expression “All power to the people!”
"As if responding directly to the rising fascism of our present moment, Ashanti Alston challenges us to recognize and expand the revolutionary practices that already prevail in our communities. Grounded, accessible, and self-critical, Anarchist Panther demands that we learn from past struggle in order to recommit ourselves anew. An invaluable contribution to the Black Panther canon."
—Orisanmi Burton, author of Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt
"Meet your teacher, one exceptionally gifted with radical insights and loving commitments. Ashanti Alston's Anarchist Panther offers a unique book on educational, analytical, political, radical rebellions for love of our lives and freedoms. Over decades, this Panther vet has labored and fought for freedoms. Ashanti has presented us with an invaluable gift: a book that can hold the memories, analyses and heartbeats of struggle that quell poverty, fascism, racism, sexism, and anti-queer/trans violence. Anarchist Panther embodies expansive resurrections of Fred Hampton's rainbow coalition. Everyone who dares to fight for liberation should read and reflect on this unique text."
—Joy James, editor of Confronting Counterinsurgency: Cop Cities and Democracy's Terrors, and author of In Pursuit of Revolutionary Love and New Bones Abolition.
Ashanti Omowali Alston is a writer, speaker, father, and activist originally from New Jersey. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. Alston is an inspiration and mentor to younger activists, helping to develop Black anarchist politics and support for political prisoners.