Synopsis: Pushing back against prevailing narratives of the “nonviolent” civil rights movement, this book shows us the crucial role played by firearms, and those who were willing and able to use them, in the black liberation movement in the US. Drawing on his own experiences at the time, as well as those of others, Cobb gives voice to the black gun owners who aided the movement – who patrolled their neighbourhoods, garrisoned their homes, and formed armed self-defence groups to protect themselves and others from the violence of white supremacy.

Reading Schedule:

• Intro, Prologue, Chapter 1 – Sunday 6th February
• Chapter 2 & 3 – Sunday 13th February
• Chapter 4 & 5 – Sunday 20th February
• Chapter 6, Epilogue, Afterword – Sunday 27th February

Where to Access the Book:

1. Free EPUB on Libcom.org
2. Perusall – How to Join:

• Go to Perusall.com
• Create an Account
• Click on Enroll in a Course
• Enter this code: HAYACA-PVMCJ
• Use a throwaway account and do not use identifying information.

Once you’ve joined, you’ll be able to read and annotate this text along with everyone else in the group. Everyone can see everyone else’s annotations and respond to and upvote them. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to read something else, the library section on Perusall currently has over 500 different texts on a broad range of topics and we regularly upload new content to expand the library even further.

Supplementary Material:

Discussion With the Author