The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee: A brief biography

The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee: A brief biography
By Dan Sabater

The John Brown Anti- Klan Committee was the most prominent U.S. Left militant anti-fascist organization of the mid to late 80's. The majority of their key organizers came from the anti-imperialist movement of the late 60's. They mixed anti-fascist work with support for the Black liberation movement as well as Third-world national liberation struggles. There was also a strong focus on the relationship between fascism and police brutality.

They published a quarterly nationally distributed paper, first called DEATH TO THE KLAN then changed to NO KKK, NO FASCIST USA. They also released a great overview video on fascism and anti-fascism in the USA called BEHIND THE BURNING CROSS: RACISM USA (1991). Their most prominent chapters were in New York City, San Francisco and Chicago. The New York group published an excellent local newsletter called UP SOUTH.

To me the JBAKC are worthy of special respect because they were the first Left group to give coverage to anti-racist skinheads like SHARP, SPAR and the initial ARA. The English-speaking Left's inability to come to terms with the fact that there are anti-racist skinheads worthy of political support drove skinheads either to the patriotic center or racist Right in England, the US and Canada. The efforts of the JBAKC made the job of anti-racist skinheads a little bit easier (it's nice to have friends in the wilderness).

The JBAKC stood against Tom Metzger and the growth of the W.A.R. skins. They crossed out racist graffiti and picketed racist cable shows.

Another great Left paper from that era to publicize anti-racist skinhead efforts was TURNING THE TIDE out of the Los Angeles area. TURNING THE TIDE has been the most consistent anti-racist paper in the US ever since.

A group from the activist Left was the CENTER FOR DEMOCRATIC RENEWAL. They published a newsletter called THE MONITOR. They can trace their history to the National Anti-Klan Network formed in the wake of the murder of 5 Communist organizers gunned down by the KKK in Greensboro, NC in 1979. They stayed in touch with events going on on the
ground and published an excellent organizing manual called WHEN HATE GROUPS COME TO TOWN.

Morris Dees' KLANWATCH (affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center) was the most high-profile mainstream liberal anti-fascist group of the late 80's. I didn't agree with all their positions but their intelligence information was spot on because they worked with the cops and Feds. They published KLANWATCH INTELLIGENCE REPORT.

Conservative anti-fascism was represented by the Anti- Defamation League of B'nai Brith, an organization rooted in the Jewish community. Definitely had some hostility to all skinheads. Published an extensive intelligence report on boneheads call SHAVED FOR BATTLE.

Today's militant anti-fascists should learn from the struggles of the JBAKC and other militant anti-fascist groups of the recent past. Fascists must forever be monitored and kept tabs on. When fascists attack they must be counter-attacked and beaten back. And when fascists are contained and kept in check we must remain vigilant and put energy into building social justice in the larger society. Only then can we build a movement so big and devastating that fascist ideas are one day retired to some unpopular museum next to the bones of the dinosaurs.