The story of how a national grassroots network fought a resurgence
of the KKK and other fascist groups during the Reagan years, laying
the groundwork for today's anti-fascist/anti-racist movements.
"Smash fascism!
Read this book!"––Tom Morello, songwriter and guitarist with
Rage Against the Machine
"Studying the
John Brown Anti-Klan Committee will give readers an understanding of
the complexity of deconstructing the weapon of white supremacy from
the inside out. Thank you Hilary and James for the precision of this
analysis, and the true north of this star."––adrienne maree
brown, author of Pleasure Activism and Emergent Strategy
In June 1977, a
group of white anti-racist activists received an alarming letter from
an inmate at a New York state prison calling for help to fight the Ku
Klux Klan's efforts to recruit prison staff and influence the people
incarcerated. Their response was to form the first chapter of what
would eventually become a powerful, nationwide grassroots network,
the John Brown Anti-Klan Committee, dedicated to countering the rise
of the KKK and other far-right white nationalist groups.
No Fascist USA!
tells the story of that network, whose efforts throughout the
1980s––which included exposing white supremacists in public
office, confronting neo-Nazis in street protests, supporting
movements for self-determination, and engagement with the underground
punk scene––laid the groundwork for many anti-racist efforts to
emerge since. Featuring original research, interviews with former
members, and a trove of graphic materials, their story offers
battle-tested lessons for those on the frontlines of social justice
work today.
