Maroon the Implacable

Overview

A prisoner’s musings on society’s problems and how to solve them

During a lengthy incarceration spent mostly in solitary confinement, Russell Maroon Shoatz has developed into a prolific writer and powerful voice for the disenfranchised. This first published collection of his accumulated works showcases his sharp and profound understanding of the current historical moment, with clear proposals for how to move forward embracing new political concepts and practices. Informed by Shoatz’s experience as a leader in the Black Liberation Movement in Philadelphia, the pieces in this book put forth his fresh and self-critical retelling of the black liberation struggle in the United States and provide cutting-edge analysis of the prison-industrial complex. Innovative and revolutionary on multiple levels, the essays also discuss such varied topics as eco-socialism, matriarchy and eco-feminism, food security, prefiguration and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Including new essays written expressly for this volume, Shoatz’s unique perspective offers many practical and theoretical insights for today’s movements for social change.

Reviews

"Whether read for activist inspiration or as an academic artifact, Shoatz’s writings are an engrossing portrayal of a life contemplated from the recesses of 20 years in solitary confinement." — Publisher's Weekly

"Ecologists, feminists and socialists should read this book and rally to its author's cause." —Thomas Ponniah, Rabble

"If you are interested in a book which will challenge you in creative and intelligent ways, read this one."  —Steve Bloom, Solidarity

Author Biography

Russell Maroon Shoatz is a founding member of the Black Unity Council, former member of the Black Panther Party, and soldier in the Black Liberation Army. He is currently incarcerated in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. Quincy Saul writes columns for Capitalism Nature Socialism and the Africa Report and is a cofounder, a writer, and an organizer for Ecosocialist Horizons. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts. Fred Ho is a jazz baritone saxophonist, composer, bandleader, playwright, writer, and social activist. His previous books include Diary of a Radical Cancer Warrior and Raw Extreme Manifesto, and he is a cofounder of Scientific Soul Sessions. He lives in New York City. Chuck D is a rapper, an author, and a producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious hip-hop music in the mid-1980s as the leader of Public Enemy. He lives in Ventura, California. Matt Meyer is an educator, an activist, an author, and an editor whose previous work includes Let Freedom Ring: A Collection of Documents from the Movements to Free U.S. Political Prisoners. He is a founder of the anti-imperialist collective Resistance in Brooklyn and served as national chair for both the War Resisters League and the Peace and Justice Studies Association. He lives in New York City. Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge is a South African politician and activist. A founding member of the Natal Organization of Women, she has worked as the Chairperson of the ANC Parliamentary Caucus, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Deputy Minister of Health, and Deputy Minister of Defence. She is currently the executive director of Embrace Dignity.