Bill Ayers

An esteemed activist invites us to consider the complex idea of abolition as much more than a strategy or a set of tactics--at a deeper level, abolition is an entire political framework, culture, and orientation Blending history and political theory and weaving in examples from literature, social movements, and his personal life, this book is a useful resource and primer for those interested in fighting for social justice. Guided by questions like what is freedom?, how do we get free?, and what are the freedom dreams that encourage us and drive us forward?, esteemed activist Bill Ayers explores the concept of freedom in eight essays: Freedom/Unfreedom takes off from the Black Freedom Movement in the 20th Century as a template for social justice movements that followed, and begins to illuminate the idea of freedom in light of what folks come together to oppose. Freedom's Paradox offers examples of a contradiction (from Frederick Douglass to the French Resistance to the Panthers)--even, or especially, in the most dire circumstances, people testify to "being free" at the moment they identify and unite to oppose unfreedom. Social Freedom/Individual Liberty directly takes on the link between the individual and the social when freedom is the question. Freedom, Anarchism, and Socialism takes off from the idea that freedom without socialism is predation and exploitation, and that socialism without freedom is bondage and subjugation. Freedom, Truth, and Repair considers reparations as a necessary step in any honest attempt toward authentic reconciliation. Organizing Freedom is a primer on organizing, strategy, and tactics for freedom fighters. Teach Freedom considers what an education for free people entails. Freedom and Abolition connects an enriched understanding of what freedom entails with an embrace of abolitionist politics.

Vaadi mahdotonta on kansalaisaktivismin mitään kumartamaton manifesti. Se yllyttää meitä yhdistämään voimamme, tekemään yhdessä historiaa. Perinpohjaista yhteiskunnallista muutosta ei ole kaivattu koskaan kipeämmin kuin omana aikakautenamme, jota leimaavat loputon sota, toistuvat taloudelliset hätätilat, katastrofaalinen ympäristötuho ja vallan linnakkeiksi luutuneet poliittiset järjestelmät, joka tarjoavat jatkossa ainoastaan samaa kuin edellä. Eikä muutos ole koskaan vaikuttanut kaukaisemalta. Tämä kirja haastaa meidät kuvittelemaan maailman sellaisena kuin se voisi ja sen pitäisi olla. Mailman, jonka vallalla olevat valtajärjestelmät haluavat uskotella olevan saavuttamatomissa. Kapinallinen kasvatustieteilijä ja pitkän linjan kansalaisaktivisti Bill Ayers paljastaa teoksessaan halkeamia järjestemässä ja avaa näköaloja radikaaliin muutokseen, strategioihin joilla rakentaa kansanliike muutoksen aikaansaamiseksi.

In an era defined by mass incarceration, endless war, economic crisis, catastrophic environmental destruction and a political system offering more of the same, radical social transformation has never been more urgent - or seemed more remote. A manifesto for movement-makers in extraordinary times, Demand the Impossible! urges us to imagine a world beyond what this rotten system would have us believe is possible.

In this sequel to "Fugitive Days," Ayers charts his life after the Weather Underground, when he becomes the GOP's flaunted "domestic terrorist," a "public enemy." Labeled a "domestic terrorist" by the McCain campaign in 2008 and used by the radical right in an attempt to castigate Obama for "pallin' around with terrorists," Bill Ayers is in fact a dedicated teacher, father, and social justice advocate with a sharp memory and even sharper wit. "Public Enemy" tells his story from the moment he and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn, emerged from years on the run and rebuilt their lives as public figures, often celebrated for their community work and much hated by the radical right. In the face of defamation by conservative media, including a multimillion-dollar campaign aimed solely at demonizing Ayers, and in spite of frequent death threats, Bill and Bernardine stay true to their core beliefs in the power of protest, demonstration, and deep commitment. Ayers reveals how he has navigated the challenges and triumphs of this public life with steadfastness and a dash of good humor--from the red carpet at the Oscars, to prison vigils and airports (where he is often detained and where he finally "confesses" that he did write "Dreams from My Father"), and ultimately on the ground at Grant Park in 2008 and again in 2012.

Bill Ayers was born into privilege and is today a highly respected educator. In the late 1960s he was a young pacifist who helped to found one of the most radical political organizations in U. S. history, the Weather Underground. In a new era of antiwar activism and suppression of protest, his story, "Fugitive Days," is more poignant and relevant than ever.

A new and timely collection compiled by one of America's most prominent urban educators. Young people and practicing teachers, poets and scholars, social critics and journalists offer unique takes on topics ranging from culturally relevant teaching and scripted curricula to the criminalisation of youth, gentrification and the inequities of school funding.

Outraged by the Vietnam War and racism in America, a group of young American radicals announced their intention to "bring the war home." The Weather Underground waged a low-level war against the U. S. government through much of the 1970s, bombing the Capitol building, breaking Timothy Leary out of prison, and evading one of the largest FBI manhunts in history." Sing a Battle Song" brings together the three complete and unedited publications produced by the Weatherman during their most active period underground, "1970 to 1974: The Weather Eye: Communiques from the Weather Underground"; "Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-Imperialism"; andSing a Battle Song: Poems by Women in the Weather Underground Organization. Sing a Battle Song is introduced and annotated by three of the Weather Underground's original organizers--Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayers, and Jeff Jones--all of whom are all still actively engaged in social justice movement work. Bernardine Dohrn, who during her years underground was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, today is a child advocate and professor of children's law and international human rights. Bill Ayers, education professor and author of numerous books on democratic education is the author of a memoir, "Fugitive Days." Jeff Jones, an environmentalist, fights global warming and other environmental threats that disproportionately harm the lives of the world's poor. Idealistic, inspired, pissed-off, and often way-over-the-top, the writings of the Weather Underground epitomizes the sexual, psychedelic, anti-war counterculture of the American 1960s and 1970s.