The War Before

Some of us may think of racism and its harms in abstract terms. We know that sometimes, somewhere, somewhen, there exists wrongful discrimination, wrongful convictions, and at worst, wrongful executions. The War Before crystallizes that harm in a collection of essays, interviews, and speeches shared posthumously on behalf of Safiya Bukhari, a member of the Black Panther Party.Because of COINTELPRO, the FBI program overseen by J. Edgar Hoover, the Black Panther Party can be particularly difficult to glean an accurate history of. In early 2020s America, we continue to see how dis- and mis-information are sown to discredit all sorts of political figures, stances, and processes. The War Before is an intense and personal firsthand account of belonging to the Party at both its height and demise. But it's also a fascinating look into the efficacy of “repeating the lie.”Safiya covers much ground. She talks about how viewing yourself as part of a community (vs. as a distinct individual) sustains work against injustice. She talks about how much of themselves members of the BPP sacrificed to the movement; their educations, their families, their health, and often life itself. She talks about how white women universalized their experiences of sexism, while in the same breath decried sexism in the BPP as somehow uniquely pernicious. She makes interesting points about how just as the white working class has historically been pitted against impoverished people of color, so too have Black men and women been pitted against one another. She talks about finding Islam and how it informed her political organizing. I always find it interesting to read about how spirituality fueled much of the Civil Rights Movement, whether it be through Christianity as with Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis, through Islam (in- and out- side of the Nation of Islam), or interfaith involvement by Unitarian Universalists. One last takeaway that I found equal parts inspiring and tragic: how very young so many of our most dedicated activists are. Safiya talks about folks joining the cause at age 15, 16. This pattern replicates today in figures like Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, David Hogg, and perhaps most relevant here, Mari Copeny, aka “Little Miss Flint.”If you've made it this far, I'd suggest this to people who liked [b:When They Call You a Terrorist 34964998 When They Call You a Terrorist A Black Lives Matter Memoir Patrisse Khan-Cullors https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499148072l/34964998.SX50.jpg 56239969], [b:Assata 100322 Assata An Autobiography Assata Shakur https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328857268l/100322.SX50.jpg 943760], or really any [a:Angela Davis 5863103 Angela Y. Davis https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588859674p2/5863103.jpg]. On the other hand, it stands in stark contrast to something like [b:Black Klansman 37901607 Black Klansman Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime Ron Stallworth https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522357130l/37901607.SY75.jpg 41816799] or even the [b:March 17346698 March Book One (March, #1) John Lewis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1360539808l/17346698.SX50.jpg 24086771] graphic novels.