What does it mean to risk everything for your beliefs? How do you confront an enemy within? This work recounts the thrilling story of a significant yet overlooked youth movement that laid the groundwork for contemporary anti-fascist organizing in North America. In the late 1980s, as skinheads and punks faced an invasion of white supremacists and neo-nazis in their communities, they fought back. Drawing from anarchism, feminism, Black liberation, and Indigenous sovereignty, they founded Anti-Racist Action (ARA). At its peak in the 1990s, thousands of committed activists in numerous chapters engaged in political and sometimes physical confrontations against nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, anti-abortion fundamentalists, and racist police. Long before "antifa" became a buzzword for media pundits and politicians, ARA was actively taking the fight to the streets. Through extensive interviews with ARA participants, this narrative provides an insider's perspective, amplifying the voices of those who risked their safety for their beliefs and in solidarity with others. By showcasing the movement's posters, zines, propaganda, and photos, this essential work of radical history demonstrates how cultural scenes can drive significant change. It explores both the triumphs and failures of a grassroots anti-racism movement, offering valuable lessons for today's activists.
