FREE THE LAND w/ The Paul Robeson House & Museum // #BLACKAUGUST

#BlackAugust Special Presentation: FREE THE LAND w/ The Paul Robeson House & Museum with Author Edward Onaci and guest Elias Rodrigues

FREE THE LAND (UNC Press) is the first book to tell the full history of the RNA and the New Afrikan Independence Movement. Edward Onaci shows how New Afrikans remade their lifestyles and daily activities to create a self-consciously revolutionary culture, and argues that the RNA’s tactics and ideology were essential to the evolution of Black political struggles. Onaci expands the story of Black Power politics, shedding new light on the long-term legacies of mid-century Black Nationalism. In today’s moment of radical possibility, this conversation is meant to lift up the power and radical vision that emerges from studying Black movements for change. What are the prospects and practices necessary for building lasting formations for revolutionary change?

DR. EDWARD ONACI is the author of Free the Land: The Republic of New Afrika and the Pursuit of a Black Nation-State (University of North Carolina Press, 2020) and teaches courses on African American history, modern U.S. history, women’s global political struggles, social movements and music in Africa and its diaspora, and more at Ursinus College. They incorporate interdisciplinary scholarship and emphasize student empowerment. Dr. Onaci’s instruction also makes use of creative resources and high impact tools, such as Reacting to the Past and Digital Liberal Arts projects. His approach encourages students to take ownership over their personal and group studies, produce their own knowledge, and apply what they learn in class to their current lives and future ambitions. Seems the book is still 40% off with promo code 01DAH40 at UNCPress: https://uncpress.org/book/9781469656144/free-the-land/

ELIAS RODRIQUES is a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. His work has been published in n+1, Bookforum, and elsewhere. He reviewed FREE THE LAND for The Baffler, under the title of “Another Country”. Read more here: https://thebaffler.com/outbursts/another-country-rodriques