Report on Black Rose Anarchist Federation 10th Anniversary Party

Report from 10th anniversary celebration for the Black Rose Anarchist Federation. Originally posted to Indybay.

by Hank Pellissier

Black Rose / Rosa Negro (BRRN) Anarchist Federation celebrated their 10-year anniversary in an old fire station in downtown Oakland on Saturday, August 10. The event, attended by 80-100 people, opened with explanatory presentations by four comrades, and concluded with a DJ Dance Party. BRRN’s goal was recruitment of new members, an intention surely realized by the enthusiastic signup of dozens of attendees.

Revolutionary struggle requires “long and patient work” emphasized the speakers. “This is a marathon not a sprint.” Defining their goal as attainment of “a world free of domination” the quartet clarified the difference between direct action (“reacting quickly with moral outrage”) and organizing (“sinking roots into longterm relationships”) and emphasized “the need to do more organizing than activism” to avoid “running from one crises to another.” Similarly, BRRN’s speakers talked about moving away from actions that only served a “symbolic” purpose; opting instead for militant strategies like withholding labor and refusing to pay rent.

Recent successes and failures – at a North Carolina high school and the Stanford encampment for Israel divestment – were relayed, with the positive message that every effort is useful because they always “build skills” in the participants.

Organizing unions non-ideologically around shared interested were explained as essential for success. “We even work with Democrats,” joked one speaker, who later admitted that allying with genocidal Zionists was beyond challenging. Forming solidarity between blue collar and white collar workers, and sharing power, were also defined as top priorities. These ideals were expressed in BRRN’s goal to democratize a union, putting power back in the hands of the rank and file so they wouldn’t get sold out by administrators.

Numerous pamphlets were distributed free to attendees, explaining the group’s strategy and tactics. Anyone interested in joining was encouraged to examine information on their website https://blackrosefed.org/