DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENTARY

Paint it Black: anarchism, urban uprising, and the mainstream news media, is a response to the mainstream media’s portrayal of anarchists and anarchism since the international anti-corporate globalization protests captured media attention during the demonstrations against the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle in November of 1999. The video deconstructs KCOP’s newscast, “Anarchists in LA?” which aired in June 2000, two months before the Democratic National Convention and the protests against it were to convene in Los Angeles. It shows how the KCOP newscast racialized anarchists as “black” via racist constructions of “blackness” that are rooted in 19th century theories of Social Darwinism. While making evident these ideas still haunt contemporary culture, Paint it Black also addresses the anarchist use of black (black flag, black clothing, black masks, black bloc) to represent a revolutionary movement that is predominantly, but not entirely, comprised of white folks and is not fundamentally concerned with black liberation movements or racialized injustice. By looking at issues of representation in the public sphere and self representation within a marginalized group, Paint it Black offers theoretical frames for strategizing anti-capitalist resistance to the policing—both literally and socially—of the militant aspects of the anti-corporate globalization movements.



Paint it Black was funded in part by a grant from the Institute for Anarchist Studies

Paint it Black also served as Jessica Lawless’ MA thesis project at Claremont Graduate University in the Cultural Studies department.

For more info, to set up a screening, or purchase a copy, contact Jessica at

lawless @ anet.net



DESCRIPTION OF POST SEPT.11 DISCUSSIONS

Since 911 I've screened Paint It Black at Claremont Graduate University, Pitzer College, and Flor Y Canto. Part of the

conversations I've been interested in exploring is how 911 affects anarchist tactics and politics. ie: where

does anarchism fit into the scheme of things when the focus is anti-war vs anti capitalism and corp.

globaization? there haven't been answers per se, because they aren't any really, it's up to the different

affinity groups and individuals as to how the fit themselves into the new landscape, but the video is

helping to facilitate broader discussions connected to the arguements about race and racialization in

context of the current demonization of muslims, arab-americans, and middle east nationas than the

more task oriented meetings about anti war actions generally have space for. which is to say I think both

kinds of meetings/discussions are necessary and one isn't more signif than the other in moving things

forward.

The most positive part of all this for me is that I am now getting 1 or 2 e-mails daily from folks all over the

country-as well as canada, greece, and austraila- asking for more info on the doc, or to order it. I'm really

excited about a reading group in alberta who wants to order it for their discussions leading up to the G8

protests/meetings happening there in june. that means a lot of people are trying to figure out the same

questions and it's testemony to the powerful role art and visual culture has in politics and activism.