The 12th Annual Anarchist Bookfair Rolls with the Fog

A day of chilly weather and San Francisco fog didn’t stop thousands of people from trekking out to Golden Gate Park and enjoying the first day of the 12th Annual Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday. The bicycle parking area provided by the SF Bicycle Coalition was filled by noon with bikes of every make and size, and by 4pm the County Fair Building’s main hall was filled to capacity as people wandered between the rows of vendor tables laden with books, posters, t-shirts, free literature, patches and DVDs, groups from all over the west coast and beyond. It was quite a sight!

Having speakers in the cafe was a new addition, and I particularly enjoyed savoring a vegan chocolate cookie and coffee from from Arizmendi, a local worker-owned café, while being part of the crowd drawn into Michelle Tea’s tale from her latest book. Panel discussions such as “Strategies to Uproot War and Empire Panel” also added another dimension this year, creating more energy, conversations and dialogue.

Ward Churchill closed the day with a passionate and articulate speech calling for unity between people struggling for justice. It was a strong reminder that although we may have our differences of opinion and sometimes not even get along personally, we need to work together. The forces of the status quo-–private security corporations such as Black Water, the army, police and federal agents, to name a few–are definitely united against us. Only together can we progress towards liberation and freedom from oppression.

The 12th Annual Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair continues tomorrow, Sunday, March 18, from 11am-4pm at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park (Lincoln Way and 9th). Again, there will be many interesting speakers and panels, such as Wendy-o Matik’s talk about open relationships and the power of radical love (1:30pm), the Power and Democracy in Revolutionary Latin America Panel (2pm) and the Resisting State Repression Panel (3pm). The full schedule is posted on the bookfair's website, http://www.bayareaanarchistbookfair.org.