THE WAY THE WIND BLEW & OUTLAWS OF AMERICA: AN EVENING LOOKING AT THE HISTORY, P

Monday, May 30th – 7 PM

THE WAY THE WIND BLEW & OUTLAWS OF AMERICA

AN EVENING LOOKING AT THE HISTORY, POLITICS, & LESSONS OF THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND

Featuring Authors and Historians: Ron Jacobs & Dan Berger

Plus Special Appearances by Ex-Weather Underground Members



At the AK Press Warehouse.


Co-sponsored by AK Press, the Catalyst Project, and the Freedom Archives



This historic evening features both participants and historians looking at the history of the group, which at the height of 60s radicalism, initiated a bombing campaign to fight racism, war, imperialism, and capitalism. For the first time we will be given an in depth look into the organization's politics, history, and an open, honest critical look at lessons which can be drawn from its experiences.



RON JACOBS is an author and librarian at the Bailey-Howe Library at the University of Vermont in Burlington. He writes for the alternative monthly Works in Progress. His book, http://akpress.org/2004/items/waythewindblew "> The Way the Wind Blew: A History of the Weather Underground is a gripping account of these 1960s radicals who took up arms against the state. The first comprehensive history of the Weathermen, Jacobs narrates the origins, development and ultimate demise of the organization: its emergence from the Students for a Democratic Society; its role in the famous Days of Rage in Chicago during October 1969; its decision to go underground; the various actions it staged - and in some cases bungled -- during the 1970s; its role as goad to other left organizations to sustain the struggle against racism and imperialism; and finally its disintegration, as various members were either captured or surrendered. Jacobs weaves a gripping tale, by turns inspiring and hair-raising - a fitting testimony to the serried adventures of Weatherman itself. http://akpress.org/2004/items/waythewindblew "> The Way the Wind Blew fuses the excitement of a thriller with an objective assessment of US 1960s radicalism. It is an indispensable resource for comprehending the recent history of the US left.



DAN BERGER is a writer, long-time anti-racism activist, and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. His book, Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground & the Politics of Solidarity (AK Press, forthcoming winter 2005), brings to life the motivations and actions of America's most famous renegades, who bombed their way into history. Through detailed and original research, Berger offers a nuanced and compelling portrait of the group that risked everything in opposition to war and racism. Culled from dozens of in-depth interviews with former Weather Underground members, as well as with civil rights activists, Black Panthers, Young Lords, and others — many of whom speak about their experiences publicly here for the first time. This explosive, engaging, and timely book uncovers the untold story of the Weather Underground, from its incendiary beginning to its tumultuous ending-never sparing a critical analysis of the group. Berger, a young activist organizer himself, draws rich, vital, and critical lessons for today's generation of radicals.



Ex-Weather Underground Organization members to be announced...