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The History of Resistance We Aren’t Taught

They want you to be passive and quiet. But history tells a different story. We’re joined by award-winning comic creator Ben Passmore, author of Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, to dig into the stories that history books, and Hollywood, whitewash:

  • De-sanitizing Resistance: We discuss how films and media often strip away the political intellect of figures like the Black Liberation Army, reducing revolutionary struggle to nihilism.

  • Community as Armor: Ben puts the focus on true resistance as mutual aid. From the Jane Collective organizing healthcare, to prisoners organizing even from solitary confinement, the most radical act is building a culture of care.

  • The Trap of Online Activism: In an age of surveillance capitalism, Ben warns that we must move beyond the “power fantasy” of social media. Real solidarity happens offline, face-to-face, building trust that algorithms can’t suppress.

As MAGA’s Supreme Leader expands the surveillance state through Peter Thiel’s Big Brother Palantir and unleashes a KKK gestapo through ICE, we must learn from unfiltered history and understand what it actually takes to survive.

January 15th is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Civil Rights movement ushered in the Third American Revolution, defeating the authoritarianism of Jim Crow, which John Roberts’ Supreme Court is bringing back. Listen to our episode on Stride Toward Freedom, the memoir by a young MLK Jr. after he captured the world’s attention leading the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott. For more on resistance strategies, listen to our episode on Gene Sharp, author of From Dictatorship to Democracy, and our interview with his protege Jamila Raqib, the executive director of the Albert Einstein Institution: Fire in Our Peace: The Power of Nonviolent Resistance. 

 Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit

Show Notes: 

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

  • The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: join on Patreon. 

  • Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other:join on Patreon. 

  • Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other:join on Patreon. 

  • Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, join on Patreon. 

  • Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join,join on Patreon. 

  • Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, join on Patreon. 

  • Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

They want you to be passive and quiet. But history tells a different story. We're joined by award-winning comic creator Ben Passmore, author of Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, to dig into the stories that history books, and Hollywood, whitewash:

  • De-sanitizing Resistance: We discuss how films and media often strip away the political intellect of figures like the Black Liberation Army, reducing revolutionary struggle to nihilism.

  • Community as Armor: Ben puts the focus on true resistance as mutual aid. From the Jane Collective organizing healthcare, to prisoners organizing even from solitary confinement, the most radical act is building a culture of care.

  • The Trap of Online Activism: In an age of surveillance capitalism, Ben warns that we must move beyond the "power fantasy" of social media. Real solidarity happens offline, face-to-face, building trust that algorithms can't suppress.

As MAGA's Supreme Leader expands the surveillance state through Peter Thiel's Big Brother Palantir and unleashes a KKK gestapo through ICE, we must learn from unfiltered history and understand what it actually takes to survive.

January 15th is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Civil Rights movement ushered in the Third American Revolution, defeating the authoritarianism of Jim Crow, which John Roberts' Supreme Court is bringing back. Listen to our episode on Stride Toward Freedom, the memoir by a young MLK Jr. after he captured the world's attention leading the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott. For more on resistance strategies, listen to our episode on Gene Sharp, author of From Dictatorship to Democracy, and our interview with his protege Jamila Raqib, the executive director of the Albert Einstein Institution: Fire in Our Peace: The Power of Nonviolent Resistance.

Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit

Show Notes:

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

  • The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: join on Patreon.

  • Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other:join on Patreon.

  • Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other:join on Patreon.

  • Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, join on Patreon.

  • Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join,join on Patreon.

  • Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, join on Patreon.

  • Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community


This content originally appeared on Gaslit Nation and was authored by Andrea Chalupa.


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Andrea Chalupa | Radio Free (2026-01-14T04:11:00+00:00) The History of Resistance We Aren’t Taught. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/01/14/the-history-of-resistance-we-arent-taught/

MLA
" » The History of Resistance We Aren’t Taught." Andrea Chalupa | Radio Free - Wednesday January 14, 2026, https://www.radiofree.org/2026/01/14/the-history-of-resistance-we-arent-taught/
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Andrea Chalupa | Radio Free Wednesday January 14, 2026 » The History of Resistance We Aren’t Taught., viewed ,<https://www.radiofree.org/2026/01/14/the-history-of-resistance-we-arent-taught/>
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Andrea Chalupa | Radio Free - » The History of Resistance We Aren’t Taught. [Internet]. [Accessed ]. Available from: https://www.radiofree.org/2026/01/14/the-history-of-resistance-we-arent-taught/
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" » The History of Resistance We Aren’t Taught." Andrea Chalupa | Radio Free - Accessed . https://www.radiofree.org/2026/01/14/the-history-of-resistance-we-arent-taught/
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" » The History of Resistance We Aren’t Taught." Andrea Chalupa | Radio Free [Online]. Available: https://www.radiofree.org/2026/01/14/the-history-of-resistance-we-arent-taught/. [Accessed: ]
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