Hi beautiful human,

Thanks for your patience as I've been a bit delayed in getting the first video covering The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon published. Life has been life-ing and I had to pour my attention to more immediate priorities (😅).

Alas, the video is here and it’s ~45 minutes long!

I encourage you to listen/watch while you work, run errands, etc., or sit and take notes. Whatever works best for your style of learning!

Those who are part of our book club’s sustaining tier will have access to the full length video behind the paywall, however, even if you’re not a paying subscriber, you’ll be able to watch the first 10 minutes below for free.

Please comment below if you have any thoughts/questions about chapters 1-2!

In solidarity,

Cat

Exploring

Ch 1: Violence

• The actual meaning of decolonization and what it looks like in a newly independent post-colonial nation

• How colonial violence imposes itself onto the colonized by the colonizer

• How the psyche of the colonized is impacted by the violence they endure and what happens when they cannot channel their rage into militant revolutionary action

• How intellectuals who don’t commit to liberation are used as buffers between the colonizer and colonized

• How colonizers ascribe a lack of morality and values to indigenous populations

• Contemplating on why “human dignity” isn’t a real lived concept for the colonized

Ch 2: Grandeur and Weakness of Spontaneity

• The distrust between those who dwell in the city center and rural inhabitants

• Why the countryside tend to be more revolutionary than the city

• The role of revolutionary violence and the importance of it needing to be rooted in liberatory philosophy; and what happens when it’s not

~MINI VIDEO RECAP ~

Checkout the Archive

• Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano

• How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney

• The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James

• War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis

• An African-American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

• + more! I invite you to scroll through our page and explore whatever you feel called to.

Read more

Hi beautiful humans,

It’s been a minute since I chimed in here, and I promise, new videos for our deep dive into The Wretched of the Earth (how many of you are actually reading? 👀) are coming soon. I’ve been trying my best to manage a heavier workload while showing up for this incredible community of ours and the days just seem to be flying by. Y’all always give me grace, but still, I want to know that I aspire to consistently be showing up here and I’m trying my best.

As many of you already know, this book club shifted into being present digitally and in-person earlier this year when I left Mexico City and moved back to Miami. On March 29th we gathered at Roots Bookstore for the first time to discuss How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney, and since then have also read The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James and Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire (deep dives into other books like Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano and War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis live within our extensive archive which can be unlocked by upgrading to the $5 sustainer tier, or by just by exploring the free mini recaps within our substack page).

After each gathering I am left feeling the impact of our shared experience and am energetically buzzing for days afterward. Many who attend are left feeling the same way.

In my bones I’ve known that what we’re doing is really freaking important. As adults, we’re choosing to lean in and learn uncomfortable history, while equipping our minds with frameworks that’ll refine our ethics and personal philosophies.

This is actually a pretty big deal, especially in the era of anti-intellectualism, but when Angie Nixon’s team reached out asking for our book club’s support I was like…wait? OUR BOOK CLUB??

Well, yes. Given our commitment to reading, learning decolonized history, and modeling the importance of learning (in Florida) Angie’s campaign thought our book club’s co-sign would be powerful. After learning more about her politic and the kind of Florida she’d be advocating for as future Senator of this state I agreed to extend our platform to amplify her message.

Namely, the fact that Angie is actually the owner of Cafe Resistance, a bookstore in Jacksonville that was built in response to Ron DeSantis’ book banning policies. Keeping in mind the current state of things (Y’ALL, BOOKS ARE CURRENTLY BEING BURNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I found this to be an extremely important detail for folks to know.

I want to emphasize that this is all because of y’all.

The power of this book club transcends our gatherings. We represent a subset of people who want a better future to emerge. Otherwise, why would we be actively learning in this way? Taking in such uncomfortable information and literally transforming who we are from the inside out.

Please sit with that.

I carry IMMENSE pride knowing that I am in community with folks who actually give a damn. Like I wrote about in this post, y’all genuinely give me hope.

I’m elated to know that Angie Nixon won the primary and look forward to finding ways to support her as we approach the general election. I’ve never canvassed before, but I probably will in the coming weeks, so if wanna join me in that let’s coordinate in our local Miami book club group chat (if you want to be added in you need to have attended at least 1 meeting! if you already have, respond to this email with your name and phone #).

In summary, what we’re doing here, online, and in-person is impacting the world around us in ways that we can’t always pin point and that’s something I want us to carry with us every time we read a page.

Let’s keep going, okay?

In solidarity,

Cat

Hi beautiful humans,

How’s your heart?

Seriously, let me know by leaving a comment below.🤍

Leave a comment

I am feeling like there’s a new surge of hope and energy coursing through me these days. Despite how absolutely insane and absolutely backwards this country is (on so many levels!!!!!), there’s still a core belief that I hold that we’re going to get through this—together.

Without a doubt, this book club (i.e you) has a lot to do with it.

And, for that I am immensely grateful.

Some of you might know that this book club shifted out of being exclusively online and into bi-monthly IRL meet-ups at Roots Bookstore in Liberty City. Since merging a digital and in-person approach I am actually feeling the impact of this book club.

• I am able to hug the people who I connect with online and be in dialogue with them. Folks are meeting like-minded locals and choosing to spend time together outside of book club.

• People are buying books, IRL at a local indie bookstore, not Amazon.

• We have a private group chat (if you’d like to added to our WhatsApp lmk by responding to this email with your name/number. FYI it’s exclusively for Miami book club members who have attended at least 1 IRL meeting) where folks are able to stay connected outside of our meetings

Simply put, there’s a lot of inspiring energy being poured into this space, and I am honored to be the person entrusted with curating this revolutionary learning/ human connection hub. There are some really exciting ideas/experiences I’m ideating for us to potentially bring to life this year (would y’all be down for a holiday party? happy hours? book swaps? 👀).

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Sooooo, you may have noticed (or not) that I didn’t record videos for the final chapters of the book. Honestly, my personal/work life has been really busy (in a good way) and I couldn't prioritize it. I made the call to put my energy where it was really needed, and y’all were really engaged with the opening chapters, which to be honest, most people are when they read it. I didn’t want to force myself to film and content into the world for the sake of “finishing.”

If you’ve been sitting with the final chapters and want to talk through them, my comments are always open. I’d genuinely love to hear where you landed.

I put together this free reflection guide (along with Simmi, our recent co-moderator) to assist with critically analyzing the book!

Wretched of the Earth

Throughout August and September, we’ll be reading The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon.

If Freire gave us the language for how oppression gets internalized and how education can either oppress or liberate us, Fanon is going to take us to the source of our social epigenetic code; into themes related to colonial violence, the psychology of the colonized, and what it actually takes to build something new once the old structure is gone.

Y’all voted for this book in last month’s poll and I think it’s the perfect follow-up to our previous read.

Stay tuned here, on TikTok, and on Instagram for the first video in the series.

Our next in-person gathering will be held on September 27th at Roots Bookstore with Phil Agnew as the co-moderator of the discussion. In the meantime, thank you for reading with me, for showing grace around the videos that didn’t happen, and for showing up at Roots.

In solidarity,

Cat

P.S. I’m hosting a workshop next Tuesday, August 11th called “Freedom to Learn” as part of the Four Freedoms learning series that is being hosted by Oratory Glory throughout Black August. It’ll be a 90 minute interactive experience that will answer the question of “who gets to decide how we learn?”. And will be anchored in the teachings we learned in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. To learn more and/or to register, click here (free tickets are available)!

Talk to ya soon!

Hi beautiful humans,

And just like that, we’ve read another book together. YAY!!!

We’ll be discussing Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire during our book club gathering in Miami this Sunday, July 26th, which I am SO excited for.

With that being said, for those of you who won’t be able to meet and discuss with us in-person, this reflection guide will offer you questions to sit with that were informed by the text.

If at any point, it’s not feasible for me to make videos for the entirety of the books we choose, I will ensure that at the very least I offer you some guidance within the corresponding reflection guide as a way to encourage critical analysis and further integration of what you’ve read during your solo study.

This particular guide was co-created with Simone Russell, the author of Jamaica in Every Letter and South Florida educator.

With care,

Cat

JOIN IN ON THE DISCUSSION

REFLECTION GUIDE

1. On page 54 Freire says “No pedagogy which is truly liberating can remain distant from the oppressed by treating them as unfortunates and by presenting for their emulation models from among the oppressors. The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption”.

   1. What do you think when you hear this?

   2. In what ways have we seen examples of this framework play out in our shared lives?

2. Paulo proclaimed “Never in history has violence been initiated by the oppressed. How could they be the initiators, if they themselves are the result of violence? How could they be the sponsors of something whose objective inauguration called forth their existence as oppressed? There would be no oppressed had there been no prior situation of violence to establish their subjugation".

   1. When we consider the presence of ICE on our streets, and the murders they are responsible for, it is clear that we are being sold a lie about the absolute “need” for their violence.

      1. In what ways has this current administration tried to convince us that those getting stolen off our streets “deserve” this violence?

      2. How/why is this a propagandist lie?

3. The main problem Freire poses is between the “oppressed” and “oppressor” classes - one dehumanizes and one fights for their humanization. We’re all a part of the oppressed class, which means we have a “dual consciousness”- the ideology of the oppressors is inside us.

   1. When you were reading this, who did you identify as the oppressor class

   2. What is something that you do that shows that oppressor’s consciousness within you?

   3. And on the contrary, what are some ways you can combat it with true solidarity?

4. Do you agree with Freire in his stance that only the oppressed can wage the struggle to end oppressive systems (because those with power wouldn’t dismantle their class system)?

   1. What would it look like for that to happen in Miami?

   2. What specific ways do people here need to wage struggle?

5. Is there a form of dehumanization you encounter that this book made you more aware of?

   1. What could we all work together in this moment to do about it and bring us closer to humanization?

6. When this book was written Freire was describing education from the 1960’s, and during that time a financial and Neo-colonial boom was occurring globally; and many of the “banking model” characteristics incorporated aspects of this early financial systems. However, today AI/tech along with privatization are the trending economic boom.

   1. In what ways do you think tech/privatization has influenced the “banking model”?

7. Do you think the current education system we have today follows the banking model of education?

   1. Yes or No?

   2. What ways do you think it’s the same or how has it changed?

8. According to Freire, dialogue is a large part of transforming the world around us, which is Praxis. Praxis is the marriage between action and reflection. However, the oppressors have developed tech that seeks to separate the connection between them. Unfortunately true dialogue cannot happen within a 150 character limit. So what are some ways we can take back the power of dialogue? Or perhaps you disagree and you think dialogue is occurring online, if so, in what ways?

9. How many of those in our society do you believe are consciously thinking about disrupting the status quo?

   1. How ready are we to embody a praxis that dismantles the way we are governed?

10. Your turn! Drop a question related to the book in the comments below that we can all respond to. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Leave a comment

Talk to y’all soon!!!!

Click here to download a free PDF of the book provided by archive.org

If you’d like to buy a physical copy of the book, please consider buying it online here to support Roots Bookstore & Market, our book club’s home in Miami.

The Wretched of the Earth

Synopsis

Written at the height of the Algerian War of Independence, Wretched of the Earthanalyzes the inner workings and various stages of the decolonization process, as well as passionately defending the need for violence in the anticolonial struggle. The book marked a turn in Fanon’s thinking from his earlier preoccupation with the problems of Blackness and Black oppression to a wider, global take on the struggle between Western countries and their colonies. Inspired by Marxism and Leninism, Fanon adapts the notion of class struggle to the racialized colonial context. His analysis of the problems facing colonized societies culminates in the total rejection of European values through a cathartic violent struggle against the oppressors.

About Our Professor: Frantz Fanon

Frantz Omar Fanon (born July 20, 1925, Fort-de-France, Martinique—died December 6, 1961, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.) was a West Indian psychoanalyst and social philosopher known for his theory that some neuroses are socially generated and for his writings on behalf of the national liberation of colonial peoples. His critiques influenced subsequent generations of thinkers and activists.

After attending schools in Martinique, Fanon served in the Free French Army during World War II and afterward attended school in France, completing his studies in medicine and psychiatry at the University of Lyon. In 1953–56 he served as head of the psychiatry department of Blida-Joinville Hospital in Algeria, which was then part of France. While treating Algerians and French soldiers, Fanon began to observe the effects of colonial violence on the human psyche. He began working with the Algerian liberation movement, the National Liberation Front (Front de Libération Nationale; FLN), and in 1956 became an editor of its newspaper, El Moudjahid, published in Tunis. In 1960 he was appointed ambassador to Ghana by Algeria’s FLN-led provisional government. That same year Fanon was diagnosed with leukemia. In 1961 he received treatment for the disease in the United States, where he later died.

To learn more about this incredible man, read his profile “Who was Frantz Fanon, the freedom fighter Palestine supporters love to quote?” in The Guardian.

Community Announcements

COMMENT THE TITLE OF THE BOOK YOU WANT US TO READ TOGETHER BELOW!

A tally of all votes (+ votes submitted via our IG) will happen in 72 hrs followed by a formal announcement.

Hi beautiful humans,

In case you missed it, a few months ago we added a new perk to the Sustainer tier of this book club!

Every paying member is automatically entered into our monthly-ish book giveaway. Each month, one member is randomly selected to receive a newly published book—generously gifted to our community by publishers from across the United States.

So far we’ve gifted:

• Fear and Fury by Heather Ann Thompson went to Whitney.

• Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy also by Heather Ann Thompson went to Andrea.

• and Building a More Perfect Union: Handbook for the Revolution by Derrick Palmer, co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union, went to Kaitlyn.

Today, we’re sending out another book! This one was gifted to our community by Edwin Raymond, the newly appointed Sheriff of New York City under Mayor Mamdani and author of An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America.

If you’re a Sustainer member, check your DMs... you just might have a message from me. 😉

If you’d like to be entered into future giveaways, join our Sustainer tier for just $5/month. You’ll automatically be entered into every raffle, and you’ll also get instant access to the full archive of previous deep dives and book recap videos.

Sending hugs,

Cat

Exploring

Ch 2

• Banking system of education vs. problem-posing education.

• What system of education has the potential to mold a society replete with creative expansion and out-of the box thinkers? On the contrary, what type of system prevents that?

• What kind of education system would the “oppressor” prefer for the masses to engage in? What system opens up the path for liberation?

• What approach to learning would lead all to feel included in the co-creation proceed of the future? Contrarily, what approach would lead to the opposite?

  ---

Hi beautiful human,

Below is the recap of chapter 2 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire.

Typically, all full-length videos are reserved exclusively for those in our sustaining tier (s/o to y’all, thank you for investing $5 per month to help make this book club possible), however throughout June and July all videos will be posted on our tiktok.

For those of you who don’t know, this book club began to take shape in 2024 after I began reading A People’s History of the United States. The series ended up going viral and inspired thousands of people to read/learn with me. I’ve always loved to read, but doing it alongside so many other people was (and is) really inspiring.

It was great to have the opportunity to assist others in interpreting text and taking in additional context shared in the comments/DMs. Soon after the series went live, lots of people (who were upset by what I was reading) began mass reporting the page and it was on the verge of being removed. That is what ultimately inspired me to create this Substack. I wanted people who were committed to learning to feel like this movement wasn’t going to stop—I of course also continued to feel like this was a community I wanted to remain connected to.

Fast forwarding to today and I have decided that I’m going to approach sharing the videos for this book similarly to how I share A People’s History of the United States. Each chapter of Pedagogy of the Oppressed will have a series of 10-minute videos that folks can keep up with on our TikTok page.

Those who are part of our book club’s sustaining tier will have access to 1 video full length video. This will make it much more convenient to listen/watch while you work, run errands, etc.

With that being said, below is our 2nd video diving into Pedagogy of the Oppressed! For those of you who aren’t paying members, head over to our tiktok page to watch the videos as they roll out, or click the button below to upgrade your membership and immediately gain access + the archive (thank you in advance to those of you who do).

Comment below if you have any questions!

Warmly,

Cat

Checkout the Archive

• Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano

• How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney

• The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James

• War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis

• An African-American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

• + more! I invite you to scroll through our page and explore whatever you feel called to.

Read more

Hi beautiful human,

First and foremost, as always thanks for opening this email and for remaining excited to learn!

It has taken me 2-weeks to kick start the deep dive into Pedagogy of the Oppressed because after reading chapter 1 I felt the desire to switch things up, at least for this book.

Typically, all full-length videos are reserved exclusively for those in our sustaining tier (s/o to y’all, thank you for investing $5 per month to help make this book club possible), however throughout June and July all videos will be posted on our tiktok.

For those of you who don’t know, this book club began to take shape in 2024 after I began reading A People’s History of the United States. The series ended up going viral and inspired thousands of people to read/learn with me. I’ve always loved to read, but doing it alongside so many other people was (and is) really inspiring.

It was great to have the opportunity to assist others in interpreting text and taking in additional context shared in the comments/DMs. Soon after the series went live, lots of people (who were upset by what I was reading) began mass reporting the page and it was on the verge of being removed. That is what ultimately inspired me to create this Substack. I wanted people who were committed to learning to feel like this movement wasn’t going to stop—I of course also continued to feel like this was a community I wanted to remain connected to.

Fast forwarding to today and I have decided that I’m going to approach sharing the videos for this book similarly to how I share A People’s History of the United States. Each chapter of Pedagogy of the Oppressed will have a series of 10-minute videos that folks can keep up with on our TikTok page.

Those who are part of our book club’s sustaining tier will have access to 1 video full length video (they’ll usually be 45-60 minutes long). This will make it much more convenient to listen/watch while you work, run errands, etc.

With that being said, below is the first video diving into Pedagogy of the Oppressed! For those of you who aren’t paying members, head over to our tiktok page to tap into the videos as they roll out, or click the button below to upgrade your membership and immediately gain access to the 60-minute video + the entire archive (thank you in advance to those of you who do🫂🙏🏽).

Comment below if you have any questions!

Warmly,

Cat

Exploring

Ch 1

• Humanization vs dehumanization

• Oppressed and Oppressor dichotomy

• Object vs Subject

• False generosity

• How the oppressors frame existence: ownership vs being

• Creating systems with the oppressed vs for them

• How oppressors who undergo awakenings can genuinely shift into becoming allies

Checkout the Archive

• Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano

• How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney

• The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James

• War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis

• An African-American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

• + more! I invite you to scroll through our page and explore whatever you feel called to.

Read more

The book y’all voted to read throughout the months of June and July is Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

Click here to download a free PDF of the book provided by the libcom.org, which is is a resource for all people who wish to fight to improve their lives, their communities and their working conditions. They are on a mission to discuss, learn from successes and failures of the past, and develop strategies to increase the power we, as ordinary people, have over our own lives.

If you’d like to buy a physical copy of the book, please consider buying it online here to support Roots Bookstore & Market, our book club’s home in Miami.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Synopsis

The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, written by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, was first published in Spanish in 1968. An English translation followed in 1970 and its Portuguese counterpart in 1972. Drawing from his extensive experience as an adult educator for urban and rural peasants in Chile, Freire imagines a critical pedagogy (method of teaching) in which teachers and students engage in a dialogical partnership with the explicit aim of humanization and liberation.

About Our Professor: Paulo Freire

Paulo Reglus Neves Freire (19 September 1921 – 2 May 1997) was a Brazilian educator and Marxist philosopher whose work revolutionized global thought on education. He is best known for Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in which he reimagines teaching as a collaborative act of liberation rather than transmission. A founder of critical pedagogy, Freire’s influence spans literacy movements, liberation theology, postcolonial education, Marxism, and contemporary theories of social justice and learning. He is widely regarded as one of the most important educational theorists of the twentieth century

Community Announcements

📅 Mark your calendars!

Our next book club gathering in Miami will be taking place on Sunday July 26th at Roots Bookstore in Liberty City

May is almost over, which means we’ll be shifting to read the next book y’all voted for, which is “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Paulo Freire next week!

Before we officially begin, I wanted to share “The Black Jacobins” discussion questions we unpacked together during our IRL gathering in Miami last Sunday!

My hope is that this helps guide you to revisit what may have come up along the past 8 weeks.

With care,

Cat

REFLECTION GUIDE/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. “The Property” (Ch 1) explores how enslaved people were brought to San Domingo, and the conditions they experienced on the island–all of the details being of course appalling. Consider the ways that history, in the West, had to be strategically taught in order for the U.S. and European powers to avoid accountability for their participation in the slave trade; and thus amassing immense wealth as a result of imperial pursuits. What comes up for you?

2. In “The San Domingo Masses Begin” (Ch 4), we learn about how the revolts began, and how much subversive coordination was required to disrupt “business as usual” on the plantations.What aspect(s) of their approach to organizing stood out to you the most?

3. Jean Francois and Biassou were the early leaders of the slave revolts. Yet, most times their names aren’t at the top of people’s minds when they think about the Haitian Revolution. Without them, the revolution as we know it today wouldn’t have been possible; Jean Jacques Dessalines and Toussaint L’Ouverture wouldn’t have had a revolutionary movement to join. What does this say about how history is often told? In the end, should legacy be measured in how history remembers you, or is there more to it?

4. Upon learning that many of the mixed race people in San Domingo were against the liberation of the enslaved, how did that compute in your mind?

5. Toussaint was in many ways a genius. He outmaneuvered and out strategized the most advanced military generals across European empires. He did this having received very little formal education. So often, people are counted out for not attending the right schools or having privileged access, but they possess innate genius. How do you think that this phenomenon impacts and applies to our society today?

6. Throughout the book, C.L.R James makes it a point to emphasize that Toussaint tried his best to spare bloodshed–even if that meant not harming planters who had a history of abusing enslaved people. This approach differed from that of other leaders. It was this empathy and way of being that so many admired in Toussaint, he treated every person like a person. However, it’s also what ultimately led to him being sequestered by the French and dying alone in exile. What do you make of this?

7. Toussaint wanted to maintain a relationship with the French because he believed that without them, the formerly enslaved wouldn’t know how to comport. He viewed them as a model. He desired for his people to act like “civilized society”---as determined by the Europeans. His new republic would ban slavery, but customs would still be influenced by the French, including pardons of egregious behavior conducted before the revolution. Was he naive to think this way? If he hadn’t adopted European ways of being, what other sources of inspiration could he have turned to?

8. Your turn! Drop a question related to the book in the comments below that we can all respond to. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Talk to you soon!

Jean Jacques Dessalines

Hi beautiful human,

Below is the full video recap of chapters 9-13 of The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James!

This officially marks the ending of this deep dive. I hope that you found it helpful, and

I hope that you find this week’s recap to be helpful. As always, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!!

Wishing you wellness,

Cat

~Recap Video~

Read more

Hi beautiful human,

Below is a video recap of chapters 9-13 of The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James!

This is the mini recap, so below I’ve only featured the first 10 minutes of this week’s video.

If you’d like access to the full length video (it’s ~40 minutes), the archive of all other book recaps, and wanting to support this decolonized knowledge movement, please consider upgrading to become an official supporter of this club ($5 per month).

Subscribe now

I hope that you find this week’s recap to be helpful. As always, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!!

Wishing you wellness,

Cat

~Mini Recap Video~

This is officially the final video recapping The Black Jacobins

Exploring

Ch 9: “The Expulsion of the British”

• How Toussaint’s army allied with France to expel the British from San Domingo

Ch 10: “Toussaint Seizes the Power”

• Toussaint dismissed the official representative of the French Government, who was his acknowledged superior

• The defeat of the “Mulatto state” of Rigaud (which opposed to Toussaint’s leadership) became a priority

• How British media acknowledges Toussaint’s leadership in San Domingo

• Toussaint’s errors within San Domingo, primarily his lack of informing the public about exactly why he chose to take Spanish San Domingo

Ch 11: “The Black Consul”

• More details emerge about Toussaint’s personality, and how he averted potential plots for him to be poisoned or harmed

• Who the people closest to Toussaint were and who he sought counsel from

Ch 12: “The Bourgeoisie Prepares to Restore Slavery”

• The plot by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the French elite to reclaim San Domingo and reinstate slavery

Ch 13: “The War of Independence”

• Napoleon’s truest intentions are revealed

• The events that transpired when Bonaparte and his fleet arrived to San Domingo

• Toussaint’s miscalculation and how it led to his imprisonment

• Dessalines taking charge (general Maurepas too), officially claiming independence from France, and renaming the land Haiti.

Btw, we’re going to be meeting up for our 2nd book club gathering this Sunday, May 24th at Roots Bookstore in Miami. RSVP here!

Hi beautiful human,

Below is a video recap of chapters 4-8 of The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James!

This is the mini recap, so below I’ve featured the first 8 minutes of this week’s video. If you’d like access to the full length video (it’s ~23 minutes), the archive of all other book recaps, and would like to support this movement to learn decolonized knowledge, please consider upgrading to become an official supporter of this club for $5 per month.

Subscribe now

I hope that you find this week’s recap to be helpful.

Wishing you wellness,

Cat

~Mini Recap Video~

the video that drops after this one will be the final one for this book!

Exploring

Ch 4: “The San Domingo Masses Begin”

• Some of the enslaved people in San Domingo began meeting in secret to plan insurrections in plantations across Le Cap

• Learning about how Voodoo, incantations, dancing, etc was used to encourage/inspire belief in a successful slave-revolt

• How Boukman, the Papaloi (or High Priest), was the first of that line of leaders whom the enslaved looked to for guidance

• How/why some revolts were successful and why others weren’t

• Toussaint L’Ouveture officially takes up leadership in the revolution

Ch 5: “And the Paris Masses Complete”

• French commissioners and royalists are sent to San Domingo to enforce the law, but quickly disagree on how to interpret said laws and choose to support opposing sides

• The expulsion of the Girondin legislative assembly and monarchy in France

• Toussaint and his army become strategic allies to other armies in unconventional ways, but always to advance the liberation of all the enslaved

Ch 6: The Rise of Toussaint”

• Toussaint’s influence becomes undeniable. His army and their unconventional tactics help secure the safety of San Domingo against the British and Spanish

• Slavery is abolished in San Domingo

Ch 7: “The Mulattoes Try and Fail”

• Mulattoes try to ensure their rights, while also fighting to keep the system of slavery alive, and fail

Ch 8: “The White Slave-Owners Again

• Toussaint expels Sonthonax (who had become one of his most loyal allies)

• The French begin discussions of sending troops to San Domingo to reinstate the previous system

Talk to ya soon, nerds!

Btw, we’re going to be meeting up for our 2nd book club gathering on May 24th at Roots Bookstore. RSVP here!

BY THE WAY! Y’ALL VOTED, AND THE BOOK Y’ALL COLLECTIVELY CHOSE TO READ NEXT IS…

Hi beautiful human,

Below is a video recap of chapters 4-8 of The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James!

I hope that you find this week’s recap to be helpful.

Wishing you wellness and sanity,

Cat

~Recap Video~

Read more

Join us for Awake Book Club’s 2nd in-person gathering in Miami at @therootsbooksandmarket as we unpack “The Black Jacobins” by C.L.R James, and celebrate Haitian Heritage Month!! 🇭🇹

Sunday, May 24, 2026

12-4 PM EST

FREE RSVP here! (spots are limited)

Come grab bites from Pate Plug, sip hand poured matcha from The Matcha Edit, and browse books from Roots Bookstore & Market.

Collective learning and dialogue will be at the center of this experience, but our intention is to also create space for fun, connection (with humans, not phones), and bonding over *great* food.

You are encouraged to read the book (free pdf here) or listen to the audiobook beforehand, but even if you do not, we would still love to see you!

AGENDA

12 to 1 PM—Arrive, order matcha, grab bites, and browse the book selection

1 to 3 PM—Discussion on “The Black Jacobins”

3 to 4 PM—Eat, drink, catch a vibe, buy books, and continue connecting with beautiful people!

We hope to see you there!!! 📚🤓

COMMENT THE TITLE OF THE BOOK YOU WANT US TO READ TOGETHER BELOW!

A tally of all votes (+ votes submitted via our IG) will happen in 72 hrs followed by a formal announcement.

Hi beautiful human,

How are you?

It took me all of April to muster up the energy to make this video. If you’re reading The Black Jacobins along with me, you already know that chapter 1 was heavy, and the subsequent chapters just really pissed me off.

I had to wait till I was energetically grounded enough to show up to this, and now that I am, h…

Read more

Hi beautiful human,

How are you?

It took me all of April to muster up the energy to make this video. If you’re reading The Black Jacobins along with me, you already know that chapter 1 was heavy, and the subsequent chapters just really pissed me off.

I had to wait till I was energetically grounded enough to show up to this, and now that I am, here is the first recap for chapters 1-3!

This is the mini recap, so below I’ve featured the first 11 minutes of this week’s recap. If you’d like access to the full length video (this week’s full-length video is ~40 minutes), the archive of all other book recaps, and would like to support this movement to embrace decolonized knowledge, please consider upgrading to become an official supporter of this club for $5 per month.

Subscribe now

I hope that you find this week’s recap to be helpful.

Wishing you wellness,

Cat

~Mini Recap Video~

Exploring

Ch 1: The Property

• The onset of the transatlantic slave trade

• How European pirates exacerbated tribal “sham-fights” to support destabilizing regions and thus contribute to supply slaves to the trade

• The abhorrent treatment of enslaved peoples in San Domingo

• How poison was used on the island to kill “the property”

Ch 2: The Owners

• The influence of the British and French bourgeoisie in San Domingo

• How the climate of the island impacted the wellbeing of all humans that weren’t accustomed to the hot/wet seasons

• The growing population of Mulatto’s on the island (who had rights, owned property, and had money because of the Negro Code) and the growing resentment/rage the white men had as they continued to be outnumbered on he island

• The racial hierarchy and how it led to the creation of 128 racial divisions that were upheld in San Domingo

• How the slave -trade and slavery were the economic basis of the French Revolution

Ch 3: Parliament and Property

• The fight for the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen to extend the Mulatto’s and how the white men of San Domingo fought to oppose it out of fear that if Mulatto’s were granted more rights, they would band together with the enslaved population to overthrow slavery, or simply have more money/property than white people

• How Ogé, a wealthy Mulatto from France, and his supporters led a voyage to San Domingo with the intent to arm and support the Mulatto’s on the island to fight for their rights

• How Ogé’s failed insurrection attempt led to his brutal murder, and that of his supporters; and what happened once word reached France that he’d been killed

• The soldiers who were sent to San Domingo from France to help maintain order in Port-au-Prince against the Patriots refused their commanders and instead gave the fraternal embrace to all Mulatto’s and Black people—telling them that the Assembly in France had declared all men free and equal

• The brutal murder of De Maudiut, a wealthy planter, by Mulatto’s who he’d harmed

• Revolts consistently unfolding throughout the island and the push to quell rebellion by the government of San Domingo and the ultra-wealthy planters

Talk to ya soon, nerds!

Btw, we’re going to be meeting up for our 2nd book club gathering on May 24th at Roots Bookstore. The formal announcement is coming soon, so stay tuned!

The book y’all voted to read throughout the months of April and May (aka our self-study spring semester) is The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James.

Click here to download a free PDF of the book provided by the Center for Political Education, to secure your copy of this month’s book!

If you’d like to buy a physical copy of the book, please consider buying it online here to support Roots Bookstore & Market, our book club’s home in Miami (they currently have 4 copies available at the shop in Liberty City).

The Black Jacobins

Synopsis

In "The Black Jacobins," Trinidadian historian C. L. R. James presents a gripping and insightful historical narrative of the Haitian Revolution (1791–1803), the largest successful uprising of enslaved people in history. Renowned as a seminal text on slavery and abolition, this powerful account details the harrowing conditions endured by the enslaved population of the French colony of San Domingo and the extraordinary leadership of Toussaint L’Ouverture, a once-illiterate enslaved man who galvanized a movement against formidable French, Spanish, and English forces. As he navigates the turbulent aftermath of the storming of the Bastille and the subsequent fight for freedom, James immortalizes the struggle that laid the groundwork for liberation movements across the globe.

About C.L.R. James

You can listen to an interview with C.L.R James as he discusses The Black Jacobins in 1970 here.

“C.L.R. James was one of the great political and intellectual figures of the twentieth century. Born in Trinidad, James spent much of his life in Britain and the United States. His long career as a writer and activist brought him into contact with everyone from Paul Robeson and Richard Wright to Eric Williams and Kwame Nkrumah.

James wrote several books, including his study of cricket, Beyond a Boundary, a pioneering exercise in the social history of sport. But he’s still best remembered for his classic history of the slave revolt in Haiti, The Black Jacobins, which opened up an entirely new field of study, showing the vital role that slaves had played in their own emancipation.” (sourced from JACOBIN)

Community Announcements

• Just a head’s up, our next book club gathering will be taking place on May 24th at Roots Bookstore! Stay tuned for the formal announcement, but make note of it in your calendar. ;)