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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.

Subcollections

  • Breakthrough
    Breakthrough
    Breakthrough was the journal of the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC), published by the John Brown Book Club from 1977 to 1995.

Documents

Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeVolume Number: SupplementFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
A discussion of the relationship between the modern Olympics and Imperialism and state repression. reprint from Breakthrough, political journal of Prairie Fire Organizing Committee.
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: 1978Volume Number: Vol. 2-1 SpringFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Anti-imperialist struggle sharpening; PFOC self-criticism p. 1 - Palestine will win! P. 8 -I declare (poem by Mahmoud Darweesh) p. 23 - IWY Houston new stage of struggle p. 24 - notes from an Afrikan POW journal by New Afrikan Prisoners Organization p. 37 - Press statement by the African People's Socialist Party p. 52 - Free the L.A. Five p. 54 - speech by Angel Rodriquez Cristobal of Liga Socialist Puertorriquena, Chicago, 1978 p. 65 - Armed Struggle and Revolution p. 71 - Gotta be Strong (poem) p. 84 - Join in Solidarity with the German R.A.F. p. 86
Breakthrough Breakthrough
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 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
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: 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: 1980Volume Number: Vol. 4-1 WinterFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorial: Black Nation's Struggle for Land and Independence p. 1 - 'Law and Order' Blueprint for Fascism p. 2 - Assata is Free! BLA Communique p. 12 - Statement from Assata Shakur p. 13 - Puerto Rico: Protect and Defend the Armed Clandestine Movement: "A Nuestro Pueblo" from El Nuevo Dia p. 16 - Statement, Liga Socialista Puertorriquena p. 17 - Statement, Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional p. 18 - Vieques: No Turning Back p. 19 - Free Leonard Peltier: Statements from Leonard Peltier published by Leonard Peltier Defense Committee p. 23 - Free the RNA 11: Free the Land! "RNA Freedom Fighters: A Continuing Episode of Human Rights Violations in Amerika" in New Afrikan (Republic of New Afrika) p. 26 - Denial of Self-Determination: A New Afrikan View in New Afrikan (Republic of New Afrika) p. 31 - Free the Pontiac Brothers! "The People are the Best Judges!" from the FUSE, pub. by New Afrikan Prisoners Organization p. 34 - Revolutionary Struggle in Guyana (Soulbook) p. 38 - Coalition for a Free Guyana p. 42 - Response to the African People's Socialist Party (PFOC Statement) p. 44
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1995Volume Number: Vol. 19-1 SummerFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorial: Contract with a Vengeance p. 1 - Reading, Writing, and Rebellion: Reflections on Education in the 90s p. 2 - "Ours is the First History: Raza Youth Speak Out," edited by Robert Roth and Annie Johnston p. 4 - Clemente! Chicago's Puerto Rican Community Takes Back its High School, Douglas Spalding p. 14 - Berkeley High: the "School Colors" Debate, Hodari Davis, Annie Johnston and Regina Segura p. 19 - Schoolgirls: Gender and Self-esteem, interview with Peggy Orenstein by Sallly Thomas and Judith Mirkinson p. 25 - Talking Queer in Kindergarten: Stopping Homophobia Before it Starts, Camomile deQuelquechose p. 31 - Minds at Work: Journeys in the South Bronx, photos by Ruth Morgan, poetry by South Bronx students p. 36 - East Timor: an Island Prison, Pam Sexton p. 41 - The Waste Makers: studies by and for the Environmental Justice Movement review by Mickey Ellinger p. 47 - Throwing Away the Key: Crime and Punishment U.S.A., Charles King p. 50 - Write Through the Walls p. 56
Breakthrough Breakthrough
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1994Volume Number: Vol. 18-1 SpringFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Breakthrough
Editorial: Defend Democracy in Cuba, Restore Democracy to Haiti p. 1 - Eritrea, Dawn, Les Gottesman and Frank Duhl p. 3 - Red Light, Green Light: the Global Trafficking of Women, Judith Mirkinson p. 10 - Palestine: Reflections on a Besieged Homeland, Elias A. Rashmawi p. 16 - It's Hard to Forget...the Pain of Apartheid Still Lingers On, and I Can't Stop Crying, Simon Nkoli p. 23 - Contested Ground: the Struggle for Democracy in Burma, Alan Senauke p. 25 - Waiting Out the Storm: Haiti's Season of Terror, interview with Pierre Labossiere, commentary by Timothy Pershing, Nancy Laleua, Max Blanchet p. 32 - Cry Till Day: African Women Confront Violence, Elsa Gebreyesus p. 41 - Stolen Island: Hawai'i Demands Sovereignty, Kekuni Blaisdell p. 47 - GATT: The Great Global Rip-off, excerpts from The Uruguay Round and Third World Sovereignty, Mrtin Khor p. 50 - Message from Chiapas, documents from the Zapatista Natinoal Liberation Army (EZLN) p. 56 - AIDS in the World: a Global Report, reviewed by David Gilbert p. 60 - Write Through the Walls p. 64