Sharing stories about their lives and experiences in political organizing, narrators contribute to a collective memory, highlighting the similarities and differences in the landscape today and how they have remained committed to movement work over decades.
Ashanti Alston, a 71-year-old activist, discussed his involvement in the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, he joined the Panthers in his teens, organizing community programs like free lunch and clothing initiatives. He faced legal battles, including a framed murder charge, but was acquitted.
Alston highlighted the importance of self-defense and community organizing, recounting efforts to free political prisoners from the Manhattan House of Detention. He emphasized the need for a collective memory and the ongoing struggle for Black liberation, drawing parallels to historical resistance movements. Ashanti Alston recounts his experiences with the Black Liberation Army, including the tragic death of Rima and the capture of comrades. He details his imprisonment, highlighting his political activism and the challenges faced in prison. Alston describes his marriage to Safiya and their work with the Jericho Movement, which supports political prisoners.
He emphasizes the importance of a total struggle, encompassing political, economic, and spiritual aspects, and the need for inclusivity and diversity within movements. Alston also reflects on his personal growth, family relationships, and ongoing activism. Ashanti Alston reminds us of the importance of learning from indigenous knowledge and practices, criticizing the lack of consultation with native peoples in movements for socialism or communism. He advocates for fresh thinking and robust dialogue with indigenous nations, rather than adhering rigidly to outdated political theories. Alston stresses the need for Black liberation to prioritize its own interests, citing historical pitfalls of seeking white worker support or getting lost in multinational movements. He highlights the importance of building community institutions for self-sufficiency in areas like health and food sovereignty, beyond mere demonstrations, to sustain the struggle for Black liberation.
Oral historian Dartricia Rollins recorded Ashanti Alston's 3-hour oral history on June 13, 2025 at an community center in Providence, RI as part of an oral history collection with veteran members of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. The unabridged interview is presented below.
Keywords
While we recommend you listen to the entire interview as recorded, you can use the search function in the audio player to find the following keywords and topics:
❗Moments
- (27:37) Seeing Huey [Newton] and Bobby [Seale] on the cover of a magazine starting a Black Panther Party chapter with Jihad [Adbulmumit].
- (48:03) Getting involved with the BPP Harlem Chapter and living through the Party split.
- (1:00:17) Being invited by Safiya [Bukhari] to join the Black Liberation Army and helping comrades escape jail.
- (1:35:50) Witnessing the tragic death of Comrade Rema, who fell down a ladder during an attempted escape.
- (1:41:47) Becoming a political prisoner.
- (2:03:25) Meeting Leonard Peltier and leaning into anti-authoritarianism, and building prison unity amongst different factions.
- (2:23:00) Marrying Safiya in prison.
- (2:35:00) Discussing the difference between political prisoners and prisoners of war and why we should help them all.
- (2:51:00) Dealing with and coming out of depression by organizing and being in community with comrades.
- (3:01:00) Defining a total struggle—An opportunity for your whole being to be changed.
- (3:09:13) Addressing hyper masculinity and different genders and sexualities joining together for Black liberation.
- (3:17:00) Reminding us to take care of ourselves.
🔑 Topics
- Anarchism
- Depression
- Feminism
- Liberation
- Marxism / Marxist-Leninist
- Masculinity
- Movements
- Political prisoners
- Prisoners of war
- Sexism
- Total struggle
👥 People
- Jihad [Adbulmumit]
- Herman Bell
- Dhoruba [bin Wahad]
- Too Black
- Veronza Bowers
- Safiya [Bukhari]
- Chango
- Eldridge Cleaver
- Kathleen Cleaver
- Kamau [Franklin]
- Che [Guevara]
- Bobby Holmes
- Yuri Kochiyoma
- Joe Monaco
- Twyman Myers
- Huey Newton
- Leonard Peltier
- Rema
- Kamau Sadiki
- Bobby Seale
- Afeni Shakur
- Mutulu Shakur
- Robert Webb
- Mao [Zedong]
🔺 Organizations & groups
- Anarchist Black Cross
- Black Liberation Army
- Black Panther Party
- Community Movement Builders
- Jericho Movement
- Knowledge Needed to Organize Workers
- Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
- National Black Radical Conference
- Pendleton 2
- Republic of New [Nu] Afrika
📚 Books
- Die, Nigger, Die!
- Islam and Anarchism
