Welcome to The New Liberator, a virtual newspaper committed to confronting the rise of white nationalism and the growing threat of fascism in the United States. In the spirit of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison’s original The Liberator, we use history as both a guide and a weapon to push back against the forces of oppression, injustice, and misinformation.
Our mission is to amplify voices of resistance, provide a platform for critical thought, and create a space where people can engage with the history and ideas that have shaped—and continue to shape—the fight for justice in America. At a time when white supremacy and anti-Blackness threaten to deepen their grip on our nation, The New Liberator aims to be a counterweight, fostering understanding, challenging the status quo, and offering tools for collective action.
We use Toni Morrison’s “10 Steps That Lead to Fascism,” as a guide to name and notice the rhetoric at the forefront of the United State’s slide into fascism. Alongside Morrison’s 10 Steps, we will also reference Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny” as a scaffolding for resistance. By learning from history, we aim to inform and empower people to stand against the erosion of democracy and civil rights. We are committed to providing a space for critical discussion, education, and activism.
Our Focus Areas:
- Resisting Fascism: We explore how authoritarianism takes root and offer strategies for resistance.
- Confronting White Supremacy & Anti-Blackness: Our articles challenge the structural forces that perpetuate racial injustice and inequality.
- Deeper Learning & Engagement: We curate resources, offer in-depth analysis, and invite you to engage with the complex history of struggle and liberation in the United States.
A Collaborative Effort
We believe that The New Liberator can only thrive when it reflects the diverse voices and perspectives that make up this country’s history and future. If you are interested in contributing articles, resources, op-eds, or event listings that align with our focus, we welcome your input. Together, we can build a collective resistance to the growing forces of fascism and inequality.
Toni Morrison’s Ten Steps that Lead to Fascism, from “Racism and Fascism”(1995). What do you see, hear, and notice today that follows these ten steps?
(1) Construct an internal enemy, as both focus and diversion.
(2) Isolate and demonize that enemy by unleashing and protecting the utterance of overt and coded name-calling and verbal abuse. Employ ad hominem attacks as legitimate charges against that enemy.
(3) Enlist and create sources and distributors of information who are willing to reinforce the demonizing process because it is profitable, because it grants power, and because it works.
(4) Palisade all art forms; monitor, discredit or expel those that challenge or destabilize processes of demonization and deification.
(5) Subvert and malign all representatives of and sympathizers with this constructed enemy.
(6) Solicit, from among the enemy, collaborators who agree with and can sanitize the dispossession process.
(7) Pathologize the enemy in scholarly and popular mediums; recycle, for example, scientific racism and the myths of racial superiority in order to naturalize the pathology.
(8) Criminalize the enemy. Then prepare, budget for and rationalize the building of holding arenas for the enemy — especially its males and absolutely its children.
(9) Reward mindlessness and apathy with monumentalized entertainments and with little pleasures, tiny seductions: a few minutes on television, a few lines in the press; a little pseudosuccess; the illusion of power and influence; a little fun, a little style, a little consequence.
(10) Maintain, at all costs, silence.
“On Tyranny” Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
- Do Not Obey in Advance
- Defend Institutions
- Beware the One-Party State
- Take Responsibility for the Face of the World
- Remember Professional Ethics
- Be Wary of Paramilitaries
- Be Reflective if you must be armed
- Stand out
- Be Kind to our Language
- Believe in Truth
- Investigate
- Make eye contact and small talk
- Practice Corporeal Politics
- Establish a Private Life
- Contribute to Good Causes
- Learn from Peers in Other Countries
- Listen for Dangerous Words
- Be Calm when the Unthinkable Arrives
- Be a Patriot
- Be as Courageous as You Can