Fred Hampton was a prime example of what Antonio Gramsci had in mind when he talked about the 'organic intellectuals' of the insurgent workers and of all the oppressed. They were the heart of his idea of the revolutionary party, the 'permanent persuaders' who shared the 'passions and circumstances' of those with whom they were working in the struggles for a new order. Bill Fletcher Jr. here is quite right that there are many more like him among us, and we need to prepare ourselves to find and work with them today.
And such individuals are more than activists (which is no slight to activists!). They are leaders; some of organizations, and in other cases individuals who have followers. But they are tied in with critical networks that we, on the Left, must unite with.
I was a child living in Chicago when Hampton was murdered. I was also best friends with a politically engaged French family who had just moved to the U.S. and their daughter, my best friend, attended Sacred Heart Academy with me. We both wore black armbands to 9th grade even though we were not barely cognizant of the impact of Fred Hampton’s death. I still have the metal button from that year displayed on my desk. Rest in power, Fred Hampton.
Fred Hampton was a prime example of what Antonio Gramsci had in mind when he talked about the 'organic intellectuals' of the insurgent workers and of all the oppressed. They were the heart of his idea of the revolutionary party, the 'permanent persuaders' who shared the 'passions and circumstances' of those with whom they were working in the struggles for a new order. Bill Fletcher Jr. here is quite right that there are many more like him among us, and we need to prepare ourselves to find and work with them today.
And such individuals are more than activists (which is no slight to activists!). They are leaders; some of organizations, and in other cases individuals who have followers. But they are tied in with critical networks that we, on the Left, must unite with.
I was a child living in Chicago when Hampton was murdered. I was also best friends with a politically engaged French family who had just moved to the U.S. and their daughter, my best friend, attended Sacred Heart Academy with me. We both wore black armbands to 9th grade even though we were not barely cognizant of the impact of Fred Hampton’s death. I still have the metal button from that year displayed on my desk. Rest in power, Fred Hampton.