Red Emma’s

One of the enduring legacies of the Black Power Era is the turn by some revolutionaries toward a politics that questioned hierarchical leadership, patriarchy, and the role of the state in social transformation. This practice came to define a distinct form of anarchism rooted in the Black experience. Ashanti Omawali Alston helped nurture and define this turn through his experiences with the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, and through social movement activity from the late 1960s to today. Anarchist Panther collects, for the first time, his thoughts that have influenced generations of radicals the world over.

These essays, interviews, and speeches trace Alston’s ideas and influences, including those on psychology, political prisoner support, feminism, the legacy of the Black Panther Party, the Zapatista rebellion, and Black anarchism. Edited alongside William C. Anderson and introduced by kai lumumba barrow, Anarchist Panther brings to life the beautiful movement expression “All power to the people!”

Ashanti Omowali Alston is a writer, speaker, father, and activist originally from New Jersey. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. Alston is an inspiration and mentor to younger activists, helping to develop Black anarchist politics and support for political prisoners.

Ría Thompson-Washington (they/themme y elle) is an Afro-Latine, nonbinary, Queer feminist currently living on unceded Piscataway land, commonly known as Baltimore, MD. For over twenty-five years, Ría has organized and trained Black and Latine people across the country, through various campaigns in the Labor movement; on electoral and candidate campaigns; and from Occupy Wall Street to providing legal support for recent racial reckoning movements. They were the president (and president-elect) of the National Lawyers Guild from 2023 to 2025.  Ría is 1/2 of Safe House Abolitionist Network, a Black and Trans led abolitionist training initiative started in 2025. In Baltimore, Ría is a member of Necessary Means, a Black abolitionist organizing crew. Learn more about Ría here.