An Amerikan Family: Assata, Tupac, and the Black Liberation Struggle

Santi Elijah Holley joins Breht to discuss his book "An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created". For over fifty years, the Shakurs have inspired generations of activists, scholars, and music fans. Many people are only familiar with Assata Shakur, the popular author and thinker, living for three decades in Cuban exile; or the late rapper Tupac. But the branches of the Shakur family tree extend widely, and the roots reach into the most furtive and hidden depths of the underground. Whether founding one of the most notorious Black Panther chapters in the country, spearheading community-based healthcare, or engaging in armed struggle with systemic oppression, the Shakurs were at the forefront.   Drawing from hundreds of hours of personal interviews, historical archives, court records, transcripts, and other rare documents, An Amerikan Family tells the complete and often devastating story of Black America’s long struggle for racial justice and the nation’s covert and repressive tactics to defeat that struggle. It is the story of a small but determined community, taking extreme, unconventional, and often perilous measures in the quest for freedom.   Enter code "REVLEFT" at checkout for 15% off: https://leftwingbooks.net/discount/REVLEFT   Outro music: "LIFE" by Saba   Support Rev Left Radio: https://www.patreon.com/RevLeftRadio