The rattling the cages: oral histories of north american political prisoners zines –– transcriptions of all of the panel talks, glossaries, & letter-writing info are available at https://archive.org/details/@rattling_the_cages_zines
Published by AK Press, Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners is a project of abolitionists Josh Davidson and Eric King. The book is filled with the experience and wisdom of over thirty current and former North American political prisoners. It provides first-hand details of prison life and the political commitments that continue to lead prisoners into direct confrontation with state authorities and institutions.
For the last year, Firestorm Books, Eric, and Josh have been hosting virtual panel conversations with a host of contributors to the book and a wide variety of steadfast revolutionaries whose knowledge, experience, and guidance are invaluable for deepening our collective commitments for liberation. Each conversation is now lovingly available in zine form to print and share with all who need it––especially our comrades behind bars.
Four contributors to Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners discuss their experiences with imprisonment, the changing nature of mass incarceration, the importance of solidarity both inside and outside the system, and the ongoing imprisonment of movement elders.
2. “Continuing the Struggle Inside & Out” (Eric King, Ray Luc Levasseur, Ashanti Alston)
Three contributors to Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners discuss their experiences with imprisonment, education behind bars, organizing with fellow prisoners, and the ongoing importance of international solidarity with captured revolutionaries.
3. “Antifascism Behind Bars” (Eric King, David Campbell, Alissa Azar)
Eric King and David Campbell, both contributors to Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners, discuss their experience behind bars, exploring the political and physical implications of opposing fascism and white supremacy while living under state control. This event was a fundraiser for the International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund.
4. “Black August & Prisoner Support” (Harold Taylor, dequi kioni sadiki, Eric King)
In this fourth Rattling the Cages panel discussion, Eric King, dequi kioni-sadiki, and Harold Taylor discuss the significance and relevance of Black August today, and the importance of political prisoner support. This event was a fundraiser for the Jericho Movement.
5. “Eric King In Conversation with James Kilgore” (Eric King, James Kilgore)
In dialogue with Rattling the Cages co-editor Eric King, James Kilgore discusses his history as an activist, underground fugitive, political prisoner, and author of books on mass incarceration. Together they explore the state of international solidarity, the abolitionist movement, and James’ recent collaboration with artist Vic Liu on The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration.
6. “Post-Prison Activism & Archiving Resistance” (Eric King, Claude Marks, Jake Conroy)
In conversation with Rattling the Cages co- editor Eric King, former political prisoners Jake Conroy and Claude Marks discuss their experiences in prison and how they’ve stayed active and engaged in liberation struggles after being released, including through the collection and archiving our histories of resistance. This event was a fundraiser for the Freedom Archives.
7. “Until All Are Free!” (Eric King, Jason Hammond, Jeremy Hammond)
In this Rattling the Cages panel talk, former political prisoners Eric King and Jason and Jeremy Hammond discuss state vs. federal prisons, solidarity inside and out, and readjusting to life once released. These three antifascists were imprisoned for very different actions and faced very different circumstances and environments, and yet all three came out of prison determined to fight back against the carceral system until all are free.
8. “Revolutionary Women Behind Bars” (Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn, Nicole Kissane)
Eric King speaks with former political prisoners Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn, and Nicole Kissane about their experiences in underground and abolitionist movements. Together they explore the repression, the resistance, and the resilience of women fighting back in US prisons.
9. “Becoming Politicized In Prison” (Hector “Bori” Rodriguez, Farham Ahmed, Eric King, Josh Davidson)
All too often we separate political prisoners from the other people incarcerated alongside them. While it is necessary that we support those incarcerated for fighting back against the system, abolition means supporting all those locked up as we fight for a better world. Rattling the Cages creators Eric King and Josh Davidson talk with Hector “Bori” Rodriguez and Farhan Ahmed, both of whom spent decades imprisoned in New York where they became politicized as they fought for their freedom.
10. “How We Did It & How You Can Too” (Eric King, Sarah Falconer, Josh Davidson)
Hear from Rattling the Cages creators Eric King, Sara Falconer, and Josh Davidson about creating this oral history project, the importance of inside-outside collaboration, and how replicating these oral histories is something you can do, too. Members of the Certain Days calendar collective, Sara and Josh talk about a quarter century of creating this calendar, building relationships with our political prisoners, and why our support matters.
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