The Socialist Labor Party – Declaration of Interdependence (1895)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Privatization, Subjectives of Refusal, The Bourgeoisie, Workers

This document was written by Daniel DeLeon, a prominent leader of the Socialist Labor Party, in 1895. The Socialist Labor Party sought to turn labor movements and unrest into more radical socialist revolutions. In this declaration, DeLeon explores the shortcomings and oppressive nature of capitalism. He then encourages his readers to join the struggle.

“Under that system the toiling masses, hungry and despised, turned the wilderness into a garden, the stones, the clay, the trees into resplendent cities, the ore and the coal into new organs of motion, through which human strength, speed and skill were multiplied a thousandfold, the lightning itself into an obedient messenger; they built factories, ships, docks and warehouses; constructed railroads, bridged rivers and pierced mountains; then descended into their nameless graves, leaving all in the hands of their despoilers, to further oppress and degrade the inheritors of their misery… But throughout the civilized world the wage workers are asserting their interdependence— the natural dependence of every man upon his fellows, of every nation upon all other nations; and under the banner of International Socialism millions of them are now marching to the conquest of the public powers.”

Declaration-of-Interdependence Download

“I incite this meeting to rebellion…” (1912)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Patriarchy, Subjectives of Refusal, Women

This document was a speech given by Emmeline Pankhurst on October 17, 1912 at Royal Albert Hall in London. Pankhurst was an active militant suffragist and a founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union. In this speech, Pankhurst speaks of the critics of militancy and gives her response.

“We disregard your laws, gentlemen, we set the liberty and the dignity and the welfare of women above all such considerations, and we shall continue this war, as we have done in the past; and what sacrifice of property, or what injury to property accrues will not be our fault. It will be the fault of that Government who admit the justice of our demands, but refuses to concede them without the evidence, so they have told us, afforded to governments of the past, that those who asked for liberty were in earnest in their demands!”

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Proclamation of the Striking Textile Workers of Lawrence (1912)

1840-1945, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Workplace, Workers

This document is the proclamation of the striking textile workers of Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 – known as the Bread and Roses Strike. The workers went on strike due to the low wages and long hours. This proclamation elaborates on the reasons for their strike and the challenges they have faced at the hands of people in power.

“We, the 20,000 textile workers of Lawrence, are out on strike for the right to live free from slavery and starvation; free from overwork and underpay; free from a state of affairs that had become so unbearable and beyond our control, that we were compelled to march out of the slave pens of Lawrence in united resistance against the wrongs and injustice of years and years of wage slavery.”

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The Manukan Declaration (2004)

1990-2010, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Indigenous, Subjectives of Refusal, The 'Natural World', Women

The Manukan Declaration was signed by seventeen different organizations across North America, South America, Asia, and Africa that make up the Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network in 2004. Generally, it advocates for indigenous voices. It highlights the importance of indigenous women in particular to indigenous culture, tradition, and environmental biodiversity.

“As Indigenous women, we have a fundamental role in environmental conservation and preservation throughout the history of our Peoples. We are the guardians of Indigenous knowledge and it is our main responsibility to protect and perpetuate this knowledge. Our weavings, music, songs, costumes, and our knowledge of agriculture, hunting or fishing are all examples of some of our contributions to the world. We are daughters of Mother Earth and to her we are obliged. Our ceremonies recognize her and we return to her the placentas of our children. She also safeguards the remains of our ancestors.”

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Gender Violence and the Prison Industrial Complex (2001)

1990-2010, Black, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Women

This document was written by Incite!, a group of radical feminists who work to end violence against all women, in 2001. This document makes a connection between state, interpersonal, and domestic violence and strives to address said violence outside of the criminal justice system. It attempts to provides more inclusive and community based solutions in hopes to create violence-free lives for all women.

“It is critical that we develop responses to gender violence that do not depend on a sexist, racist, classist, and homophobic criminal justice system. It is also important that we develop strategies that challenge the criminal justice system and that also provide safety for survivors of sexual and domestic violence. To live violence-free lives, we must develop holistic strategies for addressing violence that speak to the intersection of all forms of oppression.”

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Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female (1971)

1946-1989, Black, Date, Defining the Enemy, Patriarchy, Subjectives of Refusal, White Supremacy, Women

This document was written by Frances M. Beal in 1971. “Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female” links the anti-capitalist struggle, women’s liberation, and black liberation.

“It must also be pointed out at this time that black women are not resentful of the rise to power of black men. We welcome it. We see in it the eventual liberation of all black people from this corrupt system of capitalism. However, it is fallacious to think that in order for the black man to be strong, the black woman must be weak. Those who are exerting their “manhood” by telling black women to step back into a domestic, submissive role are assuming a counterrevolutionary position.”

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The Enemy Within (1970)

1946-1989, Consciousness Raising, Date, Defining the Enemy, Patriarchy, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, Women

This document was written by Susan Brownmiller in 1970. She discusses the ways in which women have internalized sexism and patriarchal expectations – for themselves and for other women. She explores this partly through her own personal experiences and observations.

“It was men who made the arbitrary rules of masculine/feminine that we suffer under, but it is women who continue to buy the stereotypes.”

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“We are an honorable people – can you say the same?” (1973)

1946-1989, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Imperialism, Indigenous, Subjectives of Refusal, White Supremacy

This document was written by the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy in 1973. It states their solidarity with the occupation of Wounded Knee. It is written for the United States government. It addresses the destruction and violence that indigenous people face at the hands of the United States government.

“We have not asked you to give up your religions and beliefs for ours. We have not asked you to give up your language for ours. We have not asked you to give up your ways of life for ours. We have not asked you to give up your government for ours. We have not asked that you give up your territories to us. Why can you not accord us the same respect?”

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The Longest Walk Statement (1978)

1946-1989, Date, Indigenous, Subjectives of Refusal

In 1978, a group of about 2,000 marchers – indigenous and not -, marched from Alcatraz Island, California to Washington, D.C. to protest bills that threatened indigenous rights. This document was their statement.

“Today we address you in the language of the oppressor, but the con- cepts predate the coming of the invaders. The injustice we speak of is centuries old, and has been spoken against in many tongues. We are still the original people of this land. We are the people of The Longest Walk.”

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“Call Me Human” (2015)

2011-Present, Date, Indigenous, Subjectives of Refusal

This poem was written by Lyla June Johnston, a Diné activist, in 2015. It explores the meaning of “America” through a reflection of history. It can be found below and as a PDF.

“from birth we etch these lines

engrave them inside your mind

by the rockets red glare

the bombs bursting in the air

the war it begins

to make the imaginary country

as real as your skin.

America doesn’t exist

it’s an idea men have obsessed over since 1776.

an excuse we use to manifest a reality that

destroyed the destiny of Native civilization.

they always told me I was an American

and so I said to them,

“can you show me America?”

can you tell me where it is?

I’ve been looking for it all my life!

looking for the reason why my people had to die.

but the only place I can find America is inside of your mind.

they said, no don’t worry… just

stand up

put your hand right there on your heart

now turn just a little bit towards the flag.

there it is. Right there. Don’t you see it?

there you go.

okay ready?

I pledge allegiance to an illusion

called the United States of America

and to the non-existent boundaries

for which it stands

one deception

under a Christian god

with which we legitimize the genocide

of its indigenous peoples

America doesn’t exist

but it is a psychological sickness we catch with years

of exposure to our public schools to baseball games

and once we believe that America is real we believe that we have a

reason to steal a reason to kill.

the Long Walk 1965

9,000 Navajo are marched with barrels at their backs

herded like sheep for over 400 miles

to their own special concentration camp.

in the name of America

Wounded Knee Massacre 1890

U.S. Calvary descend on a Lakota camp

with 530 women and children

and with “America” in their minds

and red and white stripes blinding their sight

they sunk bullets into the chests of children

that could have been their own

in the name of America

look on the twenty dollar bill my friends, see the man who

marched 15,000 Cherokee–

pregnant women, their children, the elderly–

marched from Georgia to Oklahoma

in the name of America.

do we remember what has been done in the name of an abstract nation

or has it all been buried along with our hearts and our tongues.

and I should not hate fireworks on warm summer nights

and I should not hate a combination of colors

and I should not hate dead men on paper money

and I should not hate.

so let me tell you that I love you

dear soldiers

dear president of the imaginary states of America

dear school teachers

dear man behind the curtain

let me tell you that I love you

and that I am leaving it in the past

let me tell you that I too am in love with my motherland

but know that this Earth is the foremother of your forefathers

she existed before Hancock and before Nixon

before money before America

and that she will exist long after America is forgotten.

raising hands to our hearts for a fairytale

that America is anything more than a word

we’ve drawn so many maps, we’ve put so many flags in the ground

we’ve labeled all the land

we’ve drawn imaginary lines all around the sand

but people hear me and separate your fact from fabrication

this is the projection of our imagination onto

the holy earth.

and today we unite to remember what is real

to remember that humanity is real

a beating heart is real

the earth beneath us is real

but America is a thought that

has turned us against ourselves

history into myth

entire cultures into forgotten languages

and the free mind into a society, deceived

so please do not call me an American

please do not even call me a Native American

please, I beg you, call me human

and do not call this land America

if you listen hard she will tell you her true name

as the nighthawks dive at twilight

as the wolves howl at midnight

as the waterfalls rage cascading

when the avalanches fracture breaking

she WILL tell us her true name with earthquakes

that split states and break fences to

remind us she does

not belong to us.

but that we belong to her.”

Call-Me-Human-2015 Download

Lynching: A Weapon of National Oppression (1932)

1840-1945, Authority, Black, Date, Defining the Enemy, Subjectives of Refusal, White Supremacy, Workers

This pamphlet was written by Harry Haywood and Milton Howard in 1932 under the direction of the Labor Research Association. The pamphlet states the causes and purposes of lynching, the organization of lynching, laws and resistance against lynching, and more. This document also makes a connection between the class struggle, the exploitation of black workers, and lynching.

“Every one of these Negro workers was murdered as a direct result of the class struggle as expressed in his demand for wages or better conditions from the white landlords who exploit the Negro masses with even greater intensity than they rob the white workers…”

Lynching_H_Haywood-M_Howard-1932 Download

Letter to President Washington (1790)

1700-1830s, Date, Defining the Enemy, Indigenous, Subjectives of Refusal, White Supremacy

This document is a letter to President George Washington from Chiefs and Counsellors of the Seneca Nation – Big Tree, Cornplanter, and Half-Town. In this letter, the Chiefs and Counsellors address violence and deceit from the government.

“We could bear this confusion no longer and determined to press through every difficulty, and lift up our voice so that you might hear us, and to claim that security in the possession of our lands, which your commissioners so solemnly promised us; and we now entreat you to inquire into our complaints, and to redress our wrongs.”

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Political Prisoners, Prisons, and Black Liberation (May 1971)

1946-1989, Black, Date, Subjectives of Refusal

In this document, Angela Y. Davis begins with a discussion of unjust laws and black resistance. After historical analysis, Davis begins to discuss the judicial system and the political prisoner. This document ends with an examination of the struggle against fascism and racism.

“As the black liberation movement and other progressive struggles increase in magnitude and intensity, the judicial system and its extension, the penal system, consequently become key weapons in the state’s fight to preserve the existing conditions of class domination, therefore racism, poverty and war.”

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“We are Power” – John Trudell (1980)

1946-1989, Consciousness Raising, Date, Indigenous, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption

John Trudell, an active member of the indigenous struggle, gave this speech on July 18, 1980 at the Black Hills Survival Gathering. In his speech, he speaks of oppression, power, and liberation.

“We have to understand that when our oppressor treats us this way and do these things to us, we allow him to do it so long as we accept his lies. As long as we make excuses for his lies, as long as we tolerate his brutality, then we allow him to mistreat us. We have been allowing it too long. That’s genocide… It’s not revolution we’re after; it’s liberation. We want to be free of a value system that’s being imposed upon us. We do not want to participate in that value system. We don’t want to change that value system. We want to remove it from our lives forever. Liberation. We want to be free.”

We-are-Power Download

How to Master Secret Work (1985)

1946-1989, Consciousness Raising, Date, Tactics of Disruption

This pamphlet was published by the Communist Party of South Africa in 1985. It explains the benefits and importance of secrecy in revolutions. Additionally, it highlights the steps to set up secret networks, rules when engaging in secret work, surveillance, communication, and failure.

“We have said that secret work helps us overcome the problems created by the enemy. This helps in the vital task of building an underground organisation or secret network. The network must lead the people in the struggle for power. It does not compete with the progressive legal organisations but reinforces them.”

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Radical Education Project (1966)

1946-1989, Consciousness Raising, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Tactics of Disruption

This document is the introduction to the Radical Education Project. It includes their objectives, beliefs, and an invitation for those also interested in accomplishing the goals they outlined. Simply put, their objectives include more research, education, and an extension of the movement itself.

“REP is an effort by activists and intellectuals to develop a research, education, and publication center designed to strengthen the movement toward a new left in America. REP invites the participation of all people who identify with the forces of radical democracy in America and abroad. We seek everyone who can make a contribution to the intellectual and educational work of research, speculation, writing, and speaking which is a necessary precondition to effective politics.”

Radical-Education-Project Download

On the General Strike – Bill Haywood (1911)

1840-1945, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Workplace, Workers

This speech was given by Bill Haywood regarding general strikes in countries such as Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. He explains the importance and power of the general strike.

“So the general strike is a fighting weapon as well as a constructive force. It can be used, and should be used, equally as forcefully by the Socialist as by the Industrial Worker.”

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The Feminization of Earth First! (1992)

1990-2010, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Women

In this document, Judi Bari describes her experiences as a woman in Earth First!. It explores the relationship between feminism and eco-radicalism – eco-feminism.

“I see no contradiction between deep ecology and eco-feminism. But Earth First! was founded by five men, and its principle spokespeople have all been male. As in all such groups, there have always been competent women doing the real work behind the scenes. But they have been virtually invisible behind the public Earth First! persona of “big man goes into big wilderness to save big trees.” I certainly objected to this.”

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Interview with Alzada Clark – Organizing Black Women Workers (1989)

1946-1989, Black, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Subjectives of Refusal, The Workplace, Women, Workers

Alzada Clark organized workers – specifically Black women – in the South, established unions, and participated in the Black Power movement at large. In this interview, she discusses her experiences.

“The Cullmer Company said they beat every union election in the state but one, until “that black woman came around.” They had a lot of respect for me there in the union. They said they couldn’t have organized the women without me.”

Interview-with-Alzada-Clark Download

“Characteristics of the Early Factory Girls” (1898)

1840-1945, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Subjectives of Refusal, The Workplace, Women, Workers

In this document, Harriet Hanson Robinson describes women working in factories in the 1830s in Lowell, Massachusetts – from her experience working in a factory starting at 10 years old. The Lowell Factories recruited young women and girls to work in factories. These young women and girls disrupted the workplace, demanding better conditions and wages.

“One of the girls stood on a pump, and gave vent to the feelings of her companions in a neat speech, declaring that it was their duty to resist all attempts at cutting down the wages. This was the first time a woman had spoken in public in Lowell, and the event caused surprise and consternation among her audience.”

22Characteristics-of-the-Early-Factory-Girls22 Download

Women, Power, and Revolution (1998)

1990-2010, Black, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Women

This document by Kathleen Neal Cleaver explores the role of women and gender in the Black Panther Party and Black Power Movement.

“At times, during the question-and-answer session following a speech I’d given, someone would ask, “What is the woman’s role in the Black Panther Party?” I never liked that question. I’d give a short answer: “It’s the same as men.” We are revolutionaries, I’d explain… The assumption held that being part of a revolutionary movement was in conflict with what the questioner had been socialized to believe was appropriate conduct for a woman.”

Women-Power-and-Revolution Download

Riot Grrrl Manifesto (1991)

1990-2010, Date, Defining the Enemy, Patriarchy, Subjectives of Refusal, Women

The Riot Grrrl movement began in Washington State in the 1990s. It sought to address sexism and other forms of oppression in the punk music industry and throughout society at large. This document is their manifesto.

“BECAUSE we are interested in creating non-heirarchical ways of being AND making music, friends, and scenes based on communication + understanding, instead of competition + good/bad categorizations…
BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real.”

Riot-Grrrl-Manifesto Download

A Fundamental Necessity of the Revolution (1973)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Women

This document is from the opening speech – given by Samora Machel – of the First Conference of Mozambican Women. In this speech, Machel answers the question “why women’s liberation?” She explores the basis of women’s exploitation and oppression, how it is replicated, and why it should be disrupted – especially within the context of a colonial revolution.

“The liberation of women is not an act of charity. It is not the result of a humanitarian or compassionate position. It is a fundamental necessity for the Revolution, a guarantee of its continuity, and a condition for its success.
The Revolution’s main objective is to destroy the system of the exploitation of man by man, the construction of a new society which will free human potentialities and reconcile work and nature. It is within this context that the question of women’s liberation arises.”

A-Fundamental-Necessity-of-the-Revolution Download

The Weapon of Theory (1966)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Subjectives of Refusal

Amilcar Cabral delivered this address at the first Tricontinental Conference of the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America held in Havana in January, 1966. He discusses the foundations and objectives of national liberation in relation to social structures.

“We will not shout hurrahs or proclaim here our solidarity with this or that people in struggle. Our presence is in itself a cry of condemnation of imperialism and a proof of solidarity with all peoples who want to banish from their country the imperialist yoke, and in particular with the heroic people of Vietnam. But we firmly believe that the best proof we can give of our anti-imperialist position and of our active solidarity with our comrades in this common struggle is to return to our countries, to further develop this struggle and to remain faithful to the principles and objectives of national liberation.”

The-Weapon-of-Theory Download

Angela Davis – Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex (2000)

1990-2010, Authority, Black, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Privatization, Subjectives of Refusal, White Supremacy

In this document, Angela Davis analyzes the Prison Industrial Complex, specifically the privatization of and profits from prisons, the ways that it is portrayed to citizens, and how it reinforces racism in the United States.

“Therefore, as the emphasis of government policy shifts from social welfare to crime control, racism sinks more deeply into the economic and ideological structures of U.S. society.”

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Organizing the Unemployed in the Bronx in the 1930s (1949)

1946-1989, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Workers

This document is Rose Chernin’s account of the disruption and organizing of the unemployed through the formation of Unemployed Councils. They organized disruptions at places such as grocery stores and organized rent strikes. In this account, Chernin describes the successes, the failures, and her personal thoughts during and after the experiences.

“I, on the other hand, when I talked to people, could convince them to struggle against their conditions. I believed in this struggle. That is all it takes to be an organizer. Belief in our power.”

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One Big Union – Industrial Workers of the World (2000)

1990-2010, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Sabotage/Ecotage, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Bourgeoisie, The Workplace, Workers

This document, written in 2000 by the Industrial Workers of the World, outlines the organization of workers and the working class. It includes a brief historical discussion, advantages of one union and organization, union and democracy, and direct action.

“A sane world run by producers for the common good is an aim that should be achieved and can be achieved. The I.W.W. can build the sort of labor movement to achieve this. There is really only one big problem in the world: a working class too disorganized to act for its own good. The I.W.W. has the solution to that problem.”
What To Do

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Preamble of the Industrial Workers of the World (1908)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Privatization, Subjectives of Refusal, The Bourgeoisie, The Workplace, Workers

The Industrial Workers of the World is a worker-led union advocating for and working towards direct action, democracy in the workplace, and unionism. This preamble to their constitution updated their mission and struggle.

“Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the means of production, abolish the wage system, and live in harmony with the Earth.”

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Manifesto of the Industrial Workers of the World (1905)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Occupation, Privatization, Sabotage/Ecotage, Self Institution, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Bourgeoisie, The Workplace, Workers

The Industrial Workers of the World is a worker-led union advocating for and working towards direct action, democracy in the workplace, and unionism. This manifesto explains the power of collective membership since capitalism is a universal evil.

“A movement to fulfill these conditions must consist of one great industrial union embracing all industries, providing for craft autonomy locally, industrial autonomy internationally, and working-class unity generally… All power should rest in a collective membership.”

Manifesto-Industrial-Workers-of-the-World Download

“Eternal Vigilance” – Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike (1934)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Bourgeoisie, Workers

This document was written by James P. Cannon on August 6, 1934 during the Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike. It describes the importance of resisting the violence and remaining persistent in their demands and needs.

“There is no power upon which we can rely except the independent power of the union. Trust in that, and that only. ‘Eternal Vigilance’ is the motto of the hour.”

Eternal-Vigilance Download

Organize the Unorganized – Trade Union Educational League (1926)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Subjectives of Refusal, The Bourgeoisie, The Workplace, Workers

The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers’ movement. This pamphlet emphasizes the importance of organizing as many workers as possible for the survival and growth of the workers’ movement.

“The organization of the unorganized is a life and death question for the labor movement. To bring the millions into the unions is necessary not only for the protection of the of the un- organized workers, and to further class ends in general, but also to safeguard the life of the existing organizations.”

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The World’s Trade Union Movement – Trade Union Educational League (1924)

1840-1945, Consciousness Raising, Date, Defining the Enemy, Subjectives of Refusal, The Bourgeoisie, Workers

The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers’ movement. This pamphlet is a collection of lectures given by A. Losovsky – the General Secretary of the Red International of Labor Unions – which give a comprehensive, global of the trade union movement.

“There is available a comprehensive picture of the trade union movement from the world viewpoint, which deals not so much with the statics but rather with the vital, living influences at work within the labor movement, the tendencies, the relation of forces and, especially, with the tremendous struggle developing throughout the world since the war by the forces of revolutionary struggle…”

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Amalgamation – Trade Union Educational League (1922)

1840-1945, Consciousness Raising, Date, Defining the Enemy, Subjectives of Refusal, The Bourgeoisie, Workers

The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers’ movement. This pamphlet specifically urges for the unification – “amalgamation” – of trade unions as a way to empower workers and combat capitalism.

“The first stage of the capitalists’ getting together came when they discovered the economy and efficiency of the industrial factory. In the manufacture of a machine the products of several trades are necessary: draftsmen, patternmakers, moulders, blacksmiths, machinists, etc. Why not gather all these crafts together under one roof and one management?”

Amalgamation Download

The Railroaders’ Next Step – Trade Union Educational League (1921)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Subjectives of Refusal, The Bourgeoisie, The Workplace, Workers

“As I write this (March, 1921) events are taking shape that render more pressing than ever the need for the utmost possible power and solidarity on the part of all railroad workers. The companies are now making a great drive to crush the unions and to force us down to serfdom… For this threatening struggle railroad men should be prepared with the strongest, closest-knit organization possible.”

The-Railroaders-Next-Step Download

Poems for Workers (1920s)

1840-1945, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Workers

This document is an anthology of poems written for the working class and dedicated to the workers’ struggle.

“I am the people—the mob—the crowd—the mass.
Do you know that all the great work of the world is done through me?
I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the world’s food and clothes.
I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons come from me and the Lincolns, They die. And I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.
I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand for much plowing. Terrible storms pass over me. I forget. The best of me is sucked out and wasted. I forget. Everything but Death comes to me and makes me work and give up what I have. And I forget.
Sometimes I growl, shake myself and spatter a few red drops for history to remember. Then—I forget. When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the People, use the lessons of yesterday and no longer forget who robbed me last year, who played me for a fool—then there w ill be no speaker in all the world say the name: “The People,” with any fleck of a sneer in his voice or any far-off smile of derision.
The mob—the crowd—the mass—will arrive then.
“I am the People, the Mob” by Carl Sandburg (47)

Poems-for-Workers-Download

Letter from the Strike Committee – Lawrence, Massachusetts (1912)

1840-1945, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Workplace, Workers

This letter is from the striking textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912. It is written to the president of the American Woolen Co. William M. Wood. The letter explains that workers can no longer bear the working conditions and will not be pushed back into submission. It also provides a list of demands.

“We, the committee, would like to know if the militia, the special policemen, and the Pinkerton detectives, recently brought into this city, know anything about the textile industry except to bayonet and club honest workingmen into submission?”

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Our Lives are at Stake – Shell Strike (1973)

1946-1989, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Workplace, Workers

This pamphlet tells the story of the United States Shell Strike in 1973. It includes descriptions of working conditions, exploitation of workers, and the strike itself.

“Shell’s vast wealth comes from its long history of exploiting workers not only in this country, but even more so the working people and resources of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America”

shell-strike Download

“The Combat is Also Ours!” – Paris (May 1968)

1946-1989, Date, Students, Subjectives of Refusal, Workers

This document, written by the Parti Socialiste Unifié in May 1968, explains the unity between the struggles of workers and students.

“because the student’s struggle against the bourgeois university is the same as that of the workers against the capitalist regime… because only the unified action of students, workers and farmers can allow the popular movement to realize its final goal: the establishment of a power in the service of workers.”

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“We are not a movement of an -ism” – Paris (May 1968)

1946-1989, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Students, Subjectives of Refusal, Urban Spaces, Workers

In this document, students and workers in Paris in May 1968 explain that reforms are not enough. Destruction and permanent revolution is necessary for the people to prevail.

We currently live in a pre-revolutionary time, hence one of destruction. This permanent struggle, engine of all true progress, will arrive at the revolution, a positive reality, but in no way definitive, for there is no established revolution. And so we say that THE REVOLUTION WILL BE PERMANENT OR IT WILL NOT BE AT ALL.

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Workers, Students! – Paris (May 1968)

1946-1989, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Occupation, Self Institution, Students, Subjectives of Refusal, Subjects Redefined, Tactics of Disruption, The Workplace, Urban Spaces, Workers

This document, written during the events in Paris during May 1968, calls for students and workers to continue the resistance, continue the occupations, and keep their power.

“We must continue to the very end!
We occupy the faculties, the offices, the factories!
We will stay there!

Workers-Students Download

Occupy Melbourne Leaflet (2011)

2011-Present, Alternative Spaces, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Occupation, Privatization, Self Institution, Subjectives of Refusal, Subjects Redefined, Tactics of Disruption, The Bourgeoisie, Urban Spaces

This leaflet from Occupy Melbourne describes the ways in which the Occupy movement has freed its participants from the reigns of capitalism.

All sorts of people from all sorts of different backgrounds are coming together and becoming open to new perspectives, questioning old assumptions, putting time and energy into things they find useful, actively communicating with each other and relating to each other as humans, without the filter of money.
We’re getting a taste of a new kind of life, of how life could be if we weren’t stuck with such an absurd and obscene social system.

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Don’t Move, Occupy! (2013)

2011-Present, Date, Disruptive Spaces, History/Theory, Occupation, Tactics of Disruption, Urban Spaces

Mehmet Döşemeci analyzes global uprisings of 2011 and the occupation of public space in order to outline a theory of social arrest.

“A logic of collection and dispersal has more and more come to define how we practice social movements… What happened in the locations of the Arab spring was not movement but arrest, not dispersal but permanent occupation.”

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Occupy Wall Street – Students (2011)

2011-Present, Alternative Spaces, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Occupation, Privatization, Self Institution, Students, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The Bourgeoisie, Urban Spaces

This document declares the occupation of student, university spaces during Occupy Wall Street.

“We join a long tradition of student activism and struggle. We the indebted and the future unemployed and underemployed stand committed to this movement for our collective lives.”

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Third Statement on Uprisings in Turkey (2013)

2011-Present, Alternative Spaces, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Occupation, Privatization, Self Institution, Tactics of Disruption, Urban Spaces

This statement, written by Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF – Revolutionary Anarchist Action), discusses the ongoing occupations in Gezi Park and Taksim Square, particularly the police violence against them.

“Despite the harsh attack, the people on Taksim Square and in Gezi Park are resisting. The fascist state, oppression and police terror can not discourage us, our struggle is going on, our rage is growing so does our struggle.”

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Fourth Statement on Uprisings in Turkey (2013)

2011-Present, Alternative Spaces, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Occupation, Privatization, Self Institution, Tactics of Disruption, Urban Spaces

This statement, issued by Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF – Revolutionary Anarchist Action), describes the uprisings that spread across Turkey in 2013. It includes details of violence that protestors and occupations have faced and emphasizes the need for solidarity and support nationally and internationally.

“Join your voice to the revolt of the people whom the state had been ignoring, oppressing and exploiting for years. Let the fire of revolt against the Turkish State that we started with a spark and that is increasingly growing, grow further… Everywhere is Istanbul and everywhere is resistance against state terrorism, police violence and capitalist exploitation.”

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Sixth Statement on Uprisings in Turkey (2013)

2011-Present, Alternative Spaces, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Occupation, Privatization, Self Institution, Tactics of Disruption, The Bourgeoisie, Urban Spaces

This statement, made by the Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF – Revolutionary Anarchist Action) describes occupations and uprisings in Turkey, including Gezi Park. It is an account of actions, motivations, and violence faced, and future hopes.

“It is time to raise the curtain before the eyes. This is a revolt. It is the reaction of people against state terrorism, police violence, and capitalist exploitation. This is the end of legitimacy of the new state power that had gained the love of other states, international institutions and global corporations…
Forty hours became forty years, the square became the world for us. This was the freedom of revolt.”

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Proclamation to the Great White Father and All His People – Alcatraz Proclamation (1969)

1946-1989, Date, Defining the Enemy, Indigenous, Occupation, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, White Supremacy

Between November 20, 1969 and June 11, 1971, a group of Indigenous people – led by the group Indians of All Tribes (IAT) – occupied Alcatraz Island. The last of the occupiers were removed by the United States government. This proclamation announced the reclamation of the land and included a “treaty” to deal with “the Caucasian inhabitants of this land.”

We, the native Americans, re-claim the land known as Alcatraz Island in the name of all American Indians by right of discovery… We feel that this so-called Alcatraz Island is more than suitable for an Indian Reservation, as determined by the white man’s own standards.
Alcatraz proclamation

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To the Peoples of the World – Zapatistas (2021)

2011-Present, Date, Defining the Enemy, Imperialism, Indigenous, Privatization, Self Institution, Subjectives of Refusal, Subjects Redefined, Tactics of Disruption, The Bourgeoisie

This letter – written on January 1, 2021 – includes a description of what unites the people of the Zapatista movement and agreements to keep the struggle active.

Only very few things unite us:…
The understanding that a system is responsible for these pains. The executioner is an exploitative, patriarchal, pyramidal, racist, thievish and criminal system: capitalism…
The commitment to fight, everywhere and at all times – each and everyone on their own terrain – against this system until we destroy it completely. The survival of humanity depends on the destruction of capitalism. We do not surrender, we do not sell out, and we do not give up.

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SDS Fire (1969)

1946-1989, Consciousness Raising, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, Workers

On December 6, 1969, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) published these writings. They cover a variety of topics including revolution, military conquest, and justice. It is a deep critique of the United States in which it sentences the United States government “to death.” Additionally, it identifies other enemies such as capitalism and imperialism. Overall, they aim to destroy bourgeois consciousness and create new revolutionary ways of living.

During the 1960’s the Amerikan government was on trial for crimes against the people of the world. We now find the government guilty and sentence it to death in the streets.

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