Under the Tree: A Seminar on Freedom with Bill Ayers

One of Karl Marx’s most famous dictums is carved onto his gravestone: “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” The first step is opening our eyes, making meaning, making sense, interpreting and constructing a world. Another step is allowing ourselves to feel the world throbbing inside of us, to hear its rhythmic heart-beat in sync with our own—to be astonished at all the beauty and splendor and magnificence available in all directions, as well as all the unnecessary suffering and undeserved pain. And then, acting in response to what the known demands of us—to do something. This takes us into the realm of strategy and tactics where we state our aims and objectives and values, make and implement a plan, and organize ourselves for action. I’m joined at Pilsen Community Books in conversation with the brilliant thinker and writer Clément Petitjean in a far-ranging conversation about his important new book, Occupation: Organizer, and the challenge of organizing to change the world.

This political moment—complex, contradictory, and characterized by escalating crises—urges us to focus our attention on movement building. Beyond campaigns, projects, policies, or organizations, we need to find multiple ways to weave our work together into a sturdy quilt, or a mighty and irresistible social upheaval that advances the cause of peace and freedom, joy and justice in our time. I’m joined in conversation with Randolph Stone, a friend, inspiration, “lawyer-for-the-people,” and long-distance runner for justice.

The struggle for Black Freedom was intensifying in 1966, and when the term “Black Power!” leapt from the March Against Fear in Mississippi into the mainstream, the Freedom Movement was newly energized. White supremacist hearts were all aflutter, and Mister Backlash went into overdrive with the usual bullshit: Black Power is hate! Is racist! Is destructive! Is too extreme! We’re joined in conversation today with Zoharah Simmons, Michael Simmons, and Dan Berger to consider the long history of Black Power and the struggle for self-determination and pride through the story of one family.

What’s the worst thing you ever did in your life? OK, stop blushing, and be honest. Are you sure you haven’t repressed, suppressed, and forgotten the most unkind or terrible or illegal or unjust things you’ve done? Think harder. What were the consequences of your actions for others, and for yourself? I’m joined in conversation with Michael Fischer, a brilliant writer and teacher who probes his own experiences with the carceral state to offer wisdom for all of us about the social construction of crime, and the deeper meaning of justice, repair, transformation, and grace.

We’re in a five-alarm shit-storm of trouble to be sure, and the overlapping crises can feel overwhelming— racial reckoning, catastrophic capitalist climate collapse, a financial system that parodies a massive, out-of-control Ponzi scheme, a legislature impersonating a medieval auction block, and more. We meet up with Danny Katch to help us name this political moment. Danny offers a delightful and accessible primer on socialism as a living alternative, and he shows us that Love and Imagination are still durable weapons to deploy in our fight for freedom—he reminds us that socialism is for lovers, not losers.

It takes a lot to change the world, and because we live day-by-day immersed in what is—the world as such—imagining a landscape much different from what’s immediately before us requires a combination of some things: seeds, surely, desire, yes, effort, of course, always effort, idealism and romance, maybe, necessity and desperation at times, and a vision of dazzling possibilities at other times. Occasionally what’s required is the willful enthusiasm to dance out on a limb—and, of course, we all do better when we’re holding hands with others out on that limb. So I come back to our steady watchword: Organize!I’m joined by three extraordinary organizers and activists, Denzel Burke, Destine Phillips, and Tommy Hagan, leaders of the  R.E.A.L. Youth Initiative. R.E.A.L. was founded in 2018 at an Illinois juvenile prison where both Denzel and Destine were incarcerated. They had discussed the idea of launching a program that organizes and builds power with people like themselves who’ve been through the criminal/legal system. They envisioned an organization run and directed by those who have experienced and understand what it’s like to have been in the streets and faced periods of incarceration, but they also envisioned this organization working towards the dismantling of conditions like poverty and the lack of social support that lead to violence, and incarceration. You can find them on Instagram @realyouthinitiative or online at realyouthinitiative.com.

A border can be “a story of identity” or “a wound…in the landscape.” It is sometimes a place to be feared, and other times a place to be honored. Borders can, of course, be metaphors: the boundary between boy and man, or girl and woman; the thin line between sanity and madness; the final frontier between life and death. In any case, a border, as the journalist James Crawford writes, “is never simply a line, a marker, a wall, an edge. First, it is an idea.” I’m joined in conversation with Susan Mills, an immigration attorney whose law practice for over two decades focused on preparing asylum cases for thousands of immigrants from Central America, with a particular focus on unaccompanied teenagers. We go from borders to dreams and back again: “Wherever there are borders,” James Crawford says, “that’s where you are going to find the most concentrated injustice.”

Stephanie Skora is the force behind the Girl, I Guess Progressive Voter Guide. She's a self-proclaimed 'Jewish, queer, trans, nerd' dedicated to helping members of the community navigate confusing ballot races and identify the most progressive candidates. A grouchy Jewish trans dyke, and an anarchist with a political science degree – Stephanie is as wise and witty a radical organizer as you’ll ever meet. But in her humility she urges us all to consult with other progressive/radical organizers in our communities, especially queer, trans, Black, and Brown folks because the guide is currently an individual effort, and, as she reminds us, “I might be a Virgo smartypants know-it-all with a lot of opinions, but I’m far from infallible!”

We travel to the Illinois Parole Board to stand in solidarity with a couple of my students seeking clemency or commutation or a pardon from Governor Pritzger, and to support our friend and colleague Marshan Allen as he asks to have his conviction erased so that he can practice law when he finishes law school. Since coming home after 24-years in prison, Marshan Allen earned his Bachelor's Degree from Northeastern Illinois University, got married, and launched a career as a national leader for criminal/legal reform. He’s currently the Vice President of Advocacy and External Partnerships at Represent Justice, a national advocacy organization, serves on the boards of Boards of Restore Justice and the Center for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, and is an active member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN). He’s a first year student at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

We’re joined in conversation with the philosopher, youth organizer, and innovative educator Theodore Richards at the legendary destination bookstore 57th Street Books in Hyde Park, Chicago. He and I have shared the mic at half a dozen book talks over the years, and today our focus is on his latest book, Reimagining the Classroom: Creating New Learning Spaces and Connecting with the World, an inspirational text as well as a practical guide with a wealth of down-to-earth ideas for teachers and parents. Theodore Richards provides a framework for youth to see themselves as valuable people as well as people of values, people who can be creators, not consumers, and makers rather than victims of history.