Prarie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC)
An anti-imperialist group that began as the Prairie Fire Distributing Committee in 1974 to distribute Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-Imperialism,
written by members of the Weather Underground Organization. After its
initial publication, groups sprang up around the country to discuss the
book. PFOC was formally organized in 1976 and was active in the San
Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Chicago until the mid-1990s. Their
work embraced a broad range of issues: international solidarity with
national liberation struggles in Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa,
Nicaragua and El Salvador; and with the struggles for self-determination
of Puerto Rican, African-American, Mexicano, and Native peoples inside
U.S. borders; support of political prisoners; opposition to white and
male supremacy and support of women’s and gay liberation.
Subcollections
-
Breakthrough
Breakthrough was the journal of the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC), published by the John Brown Book Club from 1977 to 1995.
Documents
![Women's Liberation and Imperialism](images/thumbnails//29886.jpg)
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeDate: 11/1977Volume Number: NovemberFormat: MonographCollection: Prarie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC)
PFOC document on Women's Liberation and Imperialism
Preface; Overview; Historical Roots; Structure of Women's Oppression Under Imperialism; Double Shift; Work in the Home; Women's Oppression and Waged Labor; Institutions of Social Control; History of Women's Struggles in the US; Women and the Anti-imperialist Left; I like to think of Harriet Tubman
![The Split of the Weather Underground Organization: Struggle Against White and Male Supremacy](images/thumbnails//29884.jpg)
Publisher: John Brown Book ClubDate: 2/1977Volume Number: FebruaryFormat: MonographCollection: Prarie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC)
Prairie Fire Organizing Committee published documents of the split in the Weather Underground Organization.
CONTENTS: Intro by John Brown Book Club; Class and Revolutionary Politics: the meaning of the Hard Times Conference (Feb.1976); In Defense of Prairie Fire by Clayton van Lydegraf (July 1976); WUO Public Self-Criticism by the RC (Oct.1976); Criticism of the Central Committee by the Revolutionary Committee (Nov. 1976);Tape from Bernadine Dohrn (Nov. 1976); Letter from sisters in the WUO to the women of PFOC (Sept. 1976); John Brown Book Club's Self-Criticism; Open Letter to the RC from Native American Warriors (Jan. 1977); Statement on the Bombing of the INS by the RC (Feb. 1977)
![Breakthrough](images/thumbnails//29855.jpg)
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1977Volume Number: Vol. 1-1 MarchFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Breakthrough - an Introduction p. 2 - Provisional Statement of PFOC p. 6 section on women's oppression & liberation p. 28 - Meaning of Chicago (class and revolutionary politics) p. 57 - Open Letter to the RC from Native American Warriors p. 59 - To My People by Assata Shakur p. 61
![Breakthrough](images/thumbnails//29856.jpg)
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1977Volume Number: Vol. 1-2 June-JulyFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Introducing Breakthrough No. 2 p. 1 - On the Conviction of Leonard Peltier with a reprint of a support statement by the Native Study Group of Vancouver, British Columbia p. 4 - The Guardian Sets Out to Build Itself a Party, a PFOC critique p. 9 - The Guardian on Women's "Emancipation" - a proposal to move backwards by Flynn and friends - Burning Spear: reprints from the African People's Socialist Party on Bourgeois Ideology on the Left and on Women in Struggle p. 22 - Assata Convicted with a message from Assata p. 31 - Lenin on Guerrilla Warfare p. 34 - a Comment on Puerto Rico Solidarity Work by some members of PFOC
![Breakthrough](images/thumbnails//29871.jpg)
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1977Volume Number: Vol. 1 No. 3-4 Oct-DecFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorial Statement, PFOC National Committee: the neo-colonial Carter Administration is reactionary not liberal p. 1; neo-colonialsim and increased attacks on national liberation p. 1 - Chimurenga! Interview with a representative of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) p. 7 - Free Skyhorse and Mohawk! statement from prison by Paul Skyhorse and Richard Mohawk p. 17 - the Meaning of Miami by lesbians and gay men of PFOC p. 19 - What the Guardian Guards p. 28 - Behavior Modification in South Africa and US Prisons, photo essay p. 38 - August 21st at the Gates of San Quentin p. 45 - Movement Builds to Free Dessie Woods, Smash Colonial Violence p. 50 - September 12: the Assassination of Steve Biko p. 56 - Support Sid Welsh! p. 58 - Open Letter to the Weather Underground by the New York Panther 21 (1971) p. 59 - Hit and Run Editors (Guardian) p. 76 - stop the grand juries - independence for Puerto Rico p. inside back cover