Dr. S.E. Anderson, The Black Holocaust for Beginners, and a Culture of Solidarity and Resistance in Practice

The Resistant Communiqués Collective is thrilled to launch the Resistant Communiqués Podcast this May in honor of May Day, International Workers' Day, with a powerful episode featuring Dr. S.E. Anderson.In 2025, we are living through an era of book bans in the United States, one that rivals the era of McCarthyism. Florida has led the charge nationally with legislation allowing any school district member to challenge books held by a school library. Florida alone has challenged more than 4,000 books in the past few years, and other states are working on passing similar legislation. These political acts are part of an organized strategy to attack civil rights history, LGBTQ history, and women's history.However, it is vitally important that we produce these stories and make them accessible to all, particularly young people. Dr. Anderson, an author, educator, founding member of the Harlem Black Panther Party and the NYC Coalition to Finally End Mayoral Control, a former member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or SNCC), and a lifelong organizer, published a visual primer on the Atlantic Slave Trade entitled The Black Holocaust for Beginners.In The Black Holocaust for Beginners docu-comic, Dr. Anderson lays bare the understudied and enduring violence that people of African descent experienced for centuries, written to teach younger generations and non-readers.In February 2023, while one of our collective members, Jamila, was watching a video by The Conscious Lee about book bans, Dr. Anderson's docu-comic, The Black Holocaust for Beginners, flashed onto the screen as one of the banned books. Jamila reached out and recorded this episode with Dr. Anderson to discuss his critical text.The Resistant Communiqués Collective chose to launch the Resistant Communiqués Podcast here to honor the foundational yet violently coerced labor of Africans who were enslaved and built the wealth of the United States and to reflect on what that legacy means today.This episode is a tribute to Dr. Anderson's life’s work, the power of memory as a form of resistance, and a culture of solidarity and resistance in practice.Listen, share, and study with us using the syllabus below.In Solidarity and Struggle,Resistant Communiqués CollectiveLearn more about Resistant Communiqués on the About page.Accessibility: The transcript for this episode is available on Substack.Find more Resistant Communiqués @ResistantCommPod across all platforms:Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | TikTok | Mastodon-----Multimedia SyllabusDr. S.E. Anderson, The Black Holocaust for Beginners, & a Culture of Solidarity and Resistance in PracticeNote: This is not an exhaustive bibliography; it serves as a starting point.SNCC Visual/ Cultural OrganizingAFL-CIO. (2017, January 4). A Brief History of Labor, Race and Solidarity. Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice. https://racial-justice.aflcio.org/blog/est-aliquid-se-ipsum-flagitiosum-etiamsi-nullaGaneva, T. (2019, July 25). Black Panther Fred Hampton Created a “Rainbow Coalition” to Support Poor Americans | Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/fred-hampton-black-panthers-rainbow-coalition-poor-americansThornton, J. K., & Thornton, J. K. (1998). Africa and Africans in the making of the Atlantic world, 1400-1800 (Second edition). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511800276Culture of ResistanceGetz, T. (2024, February 1). A Serious History of Black Comics Creators—OER Project Blog—OER Project Teacher Community—OER Project Community. https://community.oerproject.com/b/blog/posts/a-serious-history-of-black-comics-creatorHowell, P. A. (2020, August 17). On the Flourishing of Black Literary Arts, Old and New. Literary Hub. https://lithub.com/on-the-flourishing-of-black-literary-arts-old-and-new/Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (Director). (2020, June 2). Tom Feelings discusses The Middle Passage [Video recording].Ukweli, E., & The 19th. (2024, February 27). Black Writers Share Their Favorite Books to Honor Black History Month. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-writers-share-favorite-books-to-honor-black-history-monthCapitalism & the History of the Enslavement of AfricansAnderson, S. E. (with Holley, V. & Cro-maat Collective). (1995). The Black Holocaust for Beginners. For Beginners LLC.Feelings, T. (with Nelson, K., Feelings, K., & Diouf, S. A.). (2018). The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo (Updated edition). Dial Books.PBS. (n.d.). Africans in America/Part 1/The Middle Passage. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p277.htmlThornton, J. K. (1998). Africa and Africans in the making of the Atlantic world, 1400-1800 (Second edition). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511800276Black and Indigenous History, Chattel Slavery, and Resistance: the SeminoleBaer, S. (Director). (1992). WARRIOR The Life of Leonard Peltier—YouTube [Video recording].Dunbar-Ortiz, R. (2014). An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States. Beacon Press.Explore: Black & Indigenous History MappingAngelo, B. S. (2023, January 18). Surviving Strategic Discontent. Picturing Black History. https://picturingblackhistory.org/surviving-strategic-discontent/Native Land Digital. (2025). Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land. Retrieved fromhttps://native-land.ca/Visit"Blacksonian", learn more:Smithsonian, & National Museum of African American History and Culture. (2025). A People's Journey, A Nation's Story. National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).https://nmaahc.si.edu/ListenCeeCmusic (Director). (2024, September 28). Nina Simone Young Gifted and Black 1969 [Video recording].Resistant Communiqués CreditsThe Resistant Communiqués Collective co-hosts and collaborates on the development of the Resistant Communiqués Podcast.This episode of Resistant Communiqués:Recording and podcast production: Jamila HammamiSyllabus Development: Jamila Hammami and Zeb LarsonTranscript: Arielle RebekkahFeaturing:Resistant Communiqués Podcast Introduction: Arielle RebekkahResistant Communiqués Podcast episode Host: Jamila HammamiResistant Communiqués Podcast episode guest: Dr. S.E. AndersonResistant Communiqués Podcast Outro: Zeb LarsonRoyalty-Free Music Editing: Jamila HammamiRoyalty-Free Music:Karl Casey - New DawnWayne Jones - ConnectionKarl Casey - Endless Night This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistantcommpod.substack.com/subscribe