Assata Taught Me: State Violence, Racial Capitalism, and the Movement for Black Lives
Donna Murch, Rutgers University; Naomi Murakawa, African American Studies
May 4, 2022 · 6:00 pm—7:30 pm · Labyrinth Books and Livestream
Labyrinth Books; Department of African American Studies; Humanities Council
Black Panther and Cuban exile Assata Shakur has inspired generations of radical protest, including the contemporary movement for Black lives. Drawing its title from one of Americas foremost revolutionaries, this collection explores how social protest is challenging our current system of state violence and mass incarceration. Join us for a conversation between two exceptional scholars of race and the fight for social justice in America.
Masks will be required for in-person attendance at this hybrid event; to register for the livestream, click here.
This timely and urgent book shows how a youth-led political movement has emerged in recent years to challenge the bipartisan consensus on punishment and looks to the future through a redistributive, queer, and feminist lens. Murch frames the contemporary movement in relation to earlier struggles for Black Liberation, while excavating the origins of mass incarceration and the political economy that drives it.
“Donna Murch is one of the sharpest, most incisive, and elegant writers on racism, radicalism, and struggle today.” Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
“Assata Taught Me is a masterclass on the Black Radical Tradition. This book is seminal like its namesake, Assata Shakur.” Ibram X. Kendi
Donna Murch is an Associate Professor of History at Rutgers. She is the author of Living for the City: Migration, Education, and the Rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California. Naomi Murakawa is associate professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. She is the author of The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America.
This event is co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Department of African American Studies and Humanities Council.
