Founding Black anarchist Martin Sostre once said, “The coming tide of fascism will force many comrades to come out of their lethargy and put into practice the original anarchist tradition of being not only the detonators of revolution, but also of making it an objective reality.” This talk will center the thinking of Lucy Parsons, George Jackson, Aimé Césaire, C.L.R. James, and Sostre among others addressing how reformism bolsters fascism. William C. Anderson will address how different state models use reform to sustain capitalism under the guise of social progress and so-called progressive policies. At the same time, policing and borders tell the truth of how limited any supposed social gains are when we observe the conditions of stateless people, refugees, and asylum seekers the world over. Borders, policing, and militarism tell us the real truth. Anderson will share lessons he believes the history of Black anarchism(s), radical Black autonomy, and Black anarchic formations offer us in confronting these problems.

William C. Anderson is a writer and activist from Birmingham, Alabama. His work has appeared in the Guardian, MTV, Truthout, British Journal of Photography, and Pitchfork, among others. He is the author of The Nation on No Map (AK Press 2021), co-author of the book As Black as Resistance (AK Press 2018), and co-founder of Offshoot Journal. He also provides creative direction as one of the producers of the Black Autonomy Podcast. His writings have been included in the anthologies, Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? (Haymarket 2016) and No Selves to Defend (Mariame Kaba 2014).