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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.

Documents

Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1985Volume Number: Vol. 9-1 Spring-SummerFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorial: Disturbing their Peace p. 2 - The Next Wave: Thoughts on Revolutionary Feminism p. 4 - Azania: the Fire This Time by New Afrikan People's Organization p. 15 - De Pie y en Guerra, interview with Puerto Rican POW Oscar Lopez Rivera p. 23 - Don Juan Antonio Corretjer 1908-1985 p. 25 - The New Right: with God on Their Side p. 35 - From the Clandestine Movement: Red Guerrilla Resistance Bombs NY Patrolmen's Benevolent Association p. 45 - Can't Kill the Spirit: Staements from Revolutionary Prisoners: New York 8 p. 47 - Ohio Five p. 48 - Susan Rosenberg and Tim Blunk p. 50 - Write to the Prisoners p. 51
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1986Volume Number: Vol. 10-1 Spring-SummerFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorial: Azania: a Constant State of Emergency p. 1 - When Democracy Turns to Torture: Human Rights Violations Against POWS and Political Prisoners in the US p. 3 - personal testimonies: Sekou Odinga p. 7 - Alejandrina Torres p. 9 - Standing Deer p. 11 - Alan Berkman p. 12 - Carol Manning p. 13 -Statement from Ramsey Clark and William Kunstler p. 14 - El Salvador Vencera! Statements from the FMLN p. 15 - After Marcos, interview with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines p. 22 - Puerto Rico: Los Yanquis Quieren Fuego: Statement from the Hartford 13 p. 31 - The Lessons of August 30, Julio Rosado, Eastern Regional Coordinator, Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional, MLN-PR p. 32 - Free Mutulu Shakur, New Afrikan People's Organization p. 34 - Write to the Prisoners p. 35
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1987Volume Number: Vol. 11-2 FallFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorials: Stop the AIDS Panic! P. 1 - Profiles in Cowardice: the Iran-Contra Committee p. 4 - Sabotaging the Peace Plan p. 5 - Sex, Porn and Feminism p. 8 - Fathoming the Gulf War p. 14 - Drop the Charges! The Real Crime is Colonialism, Natl Cttee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of War p. 22 - Precious Lives, poem, Annie Johnston p. 25 - El Salvador: Time of Decision interview with FMLN/FDR p. 26 - Sanctuary Means Stopping the War, Interview with Sanctuary activists Michael McConnell and Renny Golden p. 35 - Behind Aquino's Facade: Documents from the Alliance for Philippine Concerns p. 41 - Speech to the First Congress of the Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional Puertorriqueno p. 47 - Write Through the Walls p. 51 - They Tell Us to Wait, poem, Camomile p. 53
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1987Volume Number: Vol. 11-1 Winter-SpringFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorials: Puerto Rico: Yankee Go Home p. 1 - Defend the Palestinian Revolution p. 4 - Contragate p. 6 - Chicago: Confronting the Racist Right p. 7 - Myth of Black Progress, New Afrikan People's Organization p. 17 - Kuwasi Balagoon 1946-1986 p. 21 - U.S. and Zaire Training African Contras p. 22 - Chile: Crisis in the Southern Cone p. 24 - Interview with Puerto Rican Patriot Rafael Cancel Miranda p. 31 - From the Clandestine Movement: Communiques from the Puerto Rican People's Army - Machateros p. 38 - On the Chicago Indictments p. 40 - Shut Down the Lexington Control Unit p. 41 - Statement by Watani Tyehimba to the Grand Jury p. 42 - Write Through the Walls p. 43 - Bill Wahpehpah 1937-1987 p. 45
Breakthrough Breakthrough
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
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1988Volume Number: Vol. 12-1 SummerFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorial: The Uprising p. 1 - What Happens to a Dream Deferred? Felix Shafer P. 3 - No Justice, No Peace: the Black Liberation Movement 1968-1988 Interview with Chokwe Lumumba, Chairman, New Afrikan People's Organization p. 8 -Interiew with Kwame Ture, All-African People's Revolutionary Party p. 9 - Free the Sharpeville Six p. 17 - Lesbian Mothers: Rozzie and Harriet Raise a Family, Judy Gerber with Leslie Mullen p. 26 - Revising the 60s, review of Todd Gitlin's The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rag, Robert Roth and Nancy Kurshan p. 33 - Behind the U.S. Economic Decline, Julio Rosado, Movimiento de Liberacin Nacional Puertorriqueno p. 38 - Can't Kill the Spirit: Political Prisoners and POWs Update p. 46 - Write Through the Walls p. 50
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1989Volume Number: Vol. 13-1 SpringFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorrial: El Salvador p. 1 - Editorial - Political Prisoners in the US: Breaking the Silence p. 3 - Post-feminist Mystique by Judith Mirkinson p. 5 - We're PISD, We're Gonna Seize Control, Ferd Eggan PISD Caucus of ACT NOW p. 10 - Battlezone L.A, Makungu Akinyele, New Afrikan People's Organization p. 15 - Namibia and Angola: Free at Last? Felix Shafer p. 19 - Women of the Philippine Revolution, interview with Makibaka p. 22 - Mexico: Cardenas, the Left and the PRI, interview with Gabino Gomez, Comite de Defensa Popular p. 33 - Occupied Mexico: Land Struggle in Tierra Amarilla p. 37 - Write Through the Walls p. 43
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1990Volume Number: Vol. 14-1 WinterFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Panama: Drugs, Propaganda & Interventions p. 1 - Crisis in Socialism: the Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie p. 3 - New Faces of Racism, Felix Shafer p. 5 - Fighting AIDS is More Than a Fashion Statement, Arawn Eibhlyn p. 10 - More Dyketactics for Difficult Times, Sally Thomas p. 18 - Puerto Rico: Plebiscite or Farce? Jose Lopez, Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional Puertorriquena p. 22 - El Salvador Offensive: "Our Expectations Were Surpassed" interview with Luis Flores, U.S. Representative of the FMLN p. 28 - Spike Did the Right Thing, Kamal Hassan, New Afrikan People's Organization p. 32 - Sex, Truth and Herstory: A History of Their Own by Bonnie S. Anderson and Judith P. Zissenr, reviewed by Judith Mirkinson p. 35 - Can't Kill the Spirit: Victory in Ohio 7 Trial p. 41 - Write Through the Walls p. 43
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1990Volume Number: Vol. 14-2 FallFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
AIDS: Action = Life; Native Americans: This Land is Their Land; Central American Symposium: Where Do We Go From Here?; Report from the West Bank: With Stones and Honor: Palestinian Women in the Intifada; Interview with Boris Kagarlistky: An Extremely Socialist Way of Being Capitalist The Soviet New Left Critiques Perestroika; Interview with Sergo Mikoyan: Latin America: a Soviet View; Deutsch Marks or Karl Marx? The West German Left faces Reunification; Alan Berkman: Fighting for his Life; Write Through the Walls
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1991Volume Number: Vol. 15-2 SummerFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
David Stern, 1954-1991 p. 1 - Editorials: PC, Palestine and Other Post-War Ponderings p. 2 - Gulf War Aftermath: The Arab Nation, the War and the West, interview with Egyptian human rights activist Soheir Morsy p. 5 - The Kurds, Jimmy Emmerman p. 11 - War & Racism, interview with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement p. 15 - Femininity Revisited: Survey Results, Judith Mirkinson, Sally Thomas, Janice Shreckengost p. 20 - The Splice of LIfe: Behind the Myths of Genetic Engineering, ANTIGENA Women's Collective, Zurich, Switzerland p. 28 - The New Eritrea, Frank Duhl p. 36 - 500 Years after Columbus: Puerto Rican Prisoners of War p. 38 - Write Through the Walls p. 39