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Obama commutes sentence for political prisoner Oscar López Rivera

"López Rivera, whose commutation was announced on Tuesday along with those of 208 others, has been incarcerated for 35 years for his role in fighting for Puerto Rico’s independence.

The 74-year-old, who has spent more than half of his life behind bars, was convicted of “seditious conspiracy” for plotting against the US through his activism... but under Obama’s order, he will be released on 17 May."—The Guardian

The story of Puerto Rican leader Oscar López Rivera is one of courage, valor, and sacrifice. A decorated Viet Nam veteran and well-respected community activist, López Rivera now holds the distinction of being one of the longest held political prisoners in the world. Behind bars since 1981, López Rivera was convicted of the thought-crime of “seditious conspiracy,” and never accused of causing anyone harm or of taking a life. This book is a unique introduction to his story and struggle, based on letters between him and the renowned lawyer, sociologist, educator, and activist Luis Nieves Falcón.

"For the literary-minded, this Rad Dad collective is a gem of inspired thought..."— Library Journal

“...These collected essays, written by various contributors, are raw, inspired, and artful, capturing the joys and pains of parenting with no apologies and no lack of grace. As such, some entries will speak more to readers than others, but the truth and beauty they evoke is elegant and grounding, celebrating the victories and struggles of a generation of parents: “I did not grow up in a family where anything seemed possible. The future did not really exist because surviving the present was the priority.” —Julianne Smith, Library Journal

New T-shirts— Out Now!

No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA T-Shirt

Printed on union made black shirts with white text, this shirt makes no apologies in standing in direct opposition to the racist, white supremacist, and sexist bigotry further normalized by Trump’s election win while also giving a nod to MDC's song "Born to Die”.

Every Day is May Day T-Shirt

A celebratory graphic in black ink on a white UNION MADE in America shirt. One day a year is not enough to honor all the work the WE do, so why not celebrate International Workers' Day year round? Cat illustration by Bizhan Khodabandeh.

Check out our other T-Shirts and Merch HERE

How Albert Woodfox Survived Solitary— The New Yorker

"Last summer, five months after being released from prison, Albert Woodfox went to Harlem. It was there, in 1969, during his last week of freedom, that he met members of the Black Panther Party for the first time. He had been mesmerized by the way they talked and moved. “I had always sensed, even among the most confident black people, that their fear was right there at the top, ready to overwhelm them,” he told me. “It was the first time I’d ever seen black folk who were not afraid.”—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker

Upcoming Events

Monday, Feb 13

PM Press @ National Association of African American Studies in Dallas, TX

Friday, Feb 17

Robert King (From the Bottom of the Heap) @ Law & Neuroscience Conference in San Francisco, CA

Ramsey Kanaan, PM Press, and more @ UC Santa Cruz, CA

Saturday, Feb 18

PM Press @ Cardiff Anarchist Bookfair in Cardiff, UK

Wednesday, Feb 22

Tomas Moniz (Rad Families: A Celebration) @ Pegasus Books in Berkeley, CA

Thursday, Feb 23

China Martens (Revolutionary Mothering) @ Red Emma's in Baltimore, MD

Tomas Moniz (Rad Families: A Celebration) @ Burlingame Public Library in Burlingame, CA

Robert King (From the Bottom of the Heap) @ Austin, TX

Latest Blog Entries

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Margaret Atwood on the role of the artist in testing times JJ Amaworo Wilson
I met Margaret Atwood last year. It was at an author party at the Brooklyn Book Festival. She appeared to be quite shy – although maybe it was just me boring her to death – and her physical stature was in inverse proportion to...

U.S. Anarchists: Idiots or Inspirators? Gabriel Kuhn
A review of Andrew Cornell's "Unruly Equality: U.S. Anarchism in the 20th Century".

Criticism and Self-Criticism for Anarchists Gabriel Kuhn
A review of Matthew Wilson's "Rules Without Rulers: The Possibilities and Limits of Anarchism".

Mandela, Oscar Lopez Rivera, and a Special Day Beyond the Myths Matt Meyer
The privilege of knowing both Nelson Mandela and Oscar Lopez Rivera, as men and not just idealized, mythologized figures, has afforded me the opportunity to look beyond the rhetoric calling Oscar “the Mandela of the Americas.” Osc...

It worked! Owen Hill
I was at the action (demonstration, whatever) last week. I used to find them exciting but I’ve grown weary.

Berlins Taiga Gabriel Kuhn
An antifascist football supporter as Soviet history tour guide.

Global Workers' Struggles Beyond Unions? Gabriel Kuhn
A review of Immanuel Ness's "Southern Insurgency: The Coming of the Global Working Class".

Big City Skiing Gabriel Kuhn
As a PM envoy at the World Cup race in Stockholm.

VISITING HERMAN IN THE AGE OF TRUMP Susie Day
This past year was good for prison activists. Those who advocated for high-profile political prisoners in the federal system celebrated when President Obama commuted the sentences of Chelsea Manning and Oscar Lopez, both n...

"Socialism or Nothing" Gabriel Kuhn
A review of John Smith's "Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century: Globalization, Super-Exploitation, and Capitalism's Final Crisis".

Trump and May Peter Marshall
Donald Trump is truly absurd. He is not only a racist and misogynist and believes in torture but an extreme right -winger who denies the existence of climate change.

Fighting Mass Incarceration Under Trump: New Strategies, New Alliances James Kilgore
Yusef Shakur is a Detroit community organizer who spent several years in Michigan State prisons. "The prison industrial complex has found the right person to feed it," he told Truthout in response to the election results. Trump is of ...

Propaganda Football Gabriel Kuhn
More European books on soccer and politics.

To Praise Ginger Goodwin Is to Revere a Radical Mark Leier
Feisty miner reminds that comfortable compromisers are easily forgotten.The broad outline of Ginger Goodwin's story is well known to many of The Tyee's readers. Albert "Ginger" Goodwin was active in the coal mining unions of Glace Bay,...

'Al-Mutanabbi Street' 2017: As Long As We Need To Remember j. stephanie pasvankias
Next March marks the tenth anniversary of the bombing of Baghdad’s al-Mutanabbi Street, the city’s historic bookselling corridor. The “Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here” movement has started to organize readings on or...

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE DONALD Susie Day
I was blue the other day, thinking how little power I have over my life. Like, how I didn’t vote for you, but how you’re going to be president anyway? Bummer....

On the Labour of Activist Birth Work Alana Apfel
As a birth worker, or “doula” I provide non-medical support to birth givers and their families through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Kämpa Showan! Gabriel Kuhn
A newly released book tells the story of antifascist organizer and football supporter Showan Shattak, who nearly lost his life after being assaulted by neo-Nazis in 2014.

Review of "The Football Factory" by John King JJ Amaworo Wilson
John King’s novel was first published in the UK twenty years ago. It has recently been reissued by PM Press in a handsome and suitably eye-catching edition for North American readers. Curious then that the title remains The Football Facto...

FORWARD EVER, NORMAL NEVER: TAKING DOWN DONALD TRUMP Susie Day
This dream. Something is in the house, something's breaking, the things I love are going away. I reach for Laura, she becomes translucent, evaporates. I wake up, telling myself this dream means I'm worried about how tired and worn Laura has grown ...

Why do we marginalize children in our radical political spaces? Mark Van Steenwyk
Yesterday, I flew from Minneapolis to San Francisco to read books to children. This is a new gig for me. All of my other books are for adults. And, even though those books haven’t sold loads of copies, I am confident that I could line up a s...

US activists say no to bigotry and racism after homophobic massacre Nicola Field
The homophobic massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, last Sunday horrified people across the world. So did attempts to turn the anger into racism against Muslims.

Castro and Cuba Peter Marshall
The ‘Jefe Maximo’ (Supreme Leader) Fidel Castro is dead. He may have become been a towering figure in the 20th century but for many he was a highly controversial and divisive one. His brother Raúl, head of the military forces...

"(We the People) is a highly recommended read for those wishing to affect change in their communities." - Edward Wells j. stephanie pasvankias
by Edward Wells, Professor of Environmental Studies, Division of Integrated Sciences Wilson CollegeReview of: Thomas Linzey and Anneke Campbell's We the People: Stories from the Community Rights Movement in the United States

A Nation of Prison Houses (Part 2) – Making a Buck in the Pig's Pen Michael Ryan
In August, we looked at runway imprisonment in the U.S. As disturbing as the numbers are, they are the logical extension of the general corporatization of prison – and it’s a heads we win, tails you lose situation for prisoners.

No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA! Reading List j. stephanie pasvankias
As we all struggle with the results and ramifications of the 2016 Election, we here at PM Press put together a short list of books that can help arm the spirit, inspire change, and build bridges to create a better world. In many ways...

RIP Tom Hayden JJ Amaworo Wilson
On October 23rd we lost writer/activist/politician Tom Hayden. He’d lived a life of service in the pursuit of social justice. Hayden was one of the original Freedom Riders, journeying to the Deep South in 1961 and getting beaten up for his ...

This is My Fucking Country Michelle Cruz Gonzales
"This is my place. My people have been here since borders were only imaginary, ‘just a line in the dirt,’ but this fact gives me no right over anything more than anyone else. Before my people, there were other people, and before...

Federal Judge Rejects Settlement in Landmark NYPD Spying Cases as Inadequate to Curb Abuse Kris Hermes
In a significant ruling applauded by religious, political, and civil liberties groups, a New York federal judge recently rejected a settlement agreement in a decades-long, class-action lawsuit stemming from illegal spying by the New York Police...

#DisruptJ20: Call for a bold mobilization against the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, 2017 Steven
NO PEACEFUL TRANSITION. We call on all people of good conscience to join in disrupting the ceremonies.

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