Report on the Black Rose Anarchist Federation’s 10-year anniversary party

Report from the Black Rose Anarchist Federation’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. Originally posted on ^ “IndyBay”.

by Hank Pellissier

The Black Rose/Rosa Negro (BRRN) Anarchist Federation celebrated its 10th anniversary on Saturday, August 10th at an old fire station in downtown Oakland. The event, attended by 80-100 people, began with explanatory presentations by four comrades and ended with a DJ dance party. BRRN’s goal was to recruit new members, an intention that was certainly realized by the enthusiastic sign-up of dozens of participants.

The revolutionary struggle requires “long and patient work,” the speakers stressed. “This is a marathon, not a sprint.” Defining their goal as “a world without domination,” the quartet clarified the difference between direct action (“reacting quickly with moral outrage”) and organizing (“putting down roots in long-term relationships”), stressing “the need to do more organizing than activism” to avoid “running from one crisis to the next.” Similarly, BRRN speakers spoke of turning away from actions that served only a “symbolic” purpose, opting instead for militant strategies such as refusing to work and refusing to pay rent.

Recent successes and failures—such as those at a North Carolina high school and at Stanford’s divestment camp in Israel—were reported, with the positive message that every effort was useful because it always “builds skills” in the participants.

Organizing unions without ideology based on common interests was said to be essential to success. “We even work with democrats,” joked one spokesman, who later admitted that an alliance with genocidal Zionists was more than difficult. Building solidarity between workers and employees and sharing power were also defined as top priorities. These ideals were expressed in BRRN’s goal of democratizing a union and putting power back in the hands of rank-and-file members so that they would not be betrayed by the administration.

Numerous brochures were distributed free to participants explaining the group’s strategy and tactics. Anyone interested in joining the group is asked to visit their website https://blackrosefed.org/ for more information.