Panels and Workshops Announced for Upcoming Sacramento Anarchist Bookfair

In just two weeks, on Saturday, September 7th, hundreds will gather for the second annual Sacramento Anarchist Bookfair at the Washington Neighborhood Center in Downtown Sacramento.

The event will feature panels, workshops, hands-on skillshares, tables from a variety of groups and publishers, a kids’ zone, and food from a local food truck.

Like last year, we are working to make sure that the event will be accessible and are asking people to mask. For more general information, go here. Read on for more updates!

Panel Discussions

This year, we’ll have several panels featuring organizers from across the West Coast. Panels will be followed by Q&A.

Tenant Organizing in the Midst of a Housing Crisis: Participants from across the West Coast discuss their work in tenant unions and struggles around housing in the face of rising rents and evictions. The panel includes speakers from Eugene on a campaign to block the eviction of a family, members of Tenant and Neighborhood Action Councils (TANC) in the bay area, and the Sacramento Valley Tenants Union. 11am

Mutual Aid and Autonomous Disaster Relief in an Age of Climate Chaos: Discussion on organizing mutual aid and autonomous disaster relief responses to the ongoing crisis of rising inflation and climate change fueled wildfires. The panel includes organizers from Nor Cal Resist in Sacramento, mutual aid volunteers from Chico and Nevada County, and a presenter on community prepardness. 12:30pm

Report Backs from the Anti-War Movement in Solidarity with Palestine: Featuring reports from various organizers on struggles in solidarity with Palestine. The panel includes an organizer with the Black Rose Anarchist Federation on building labor solidarity with Palestine and comrades from Humboldt on the campus occupations that errupted this summer. 2pm

Fostering a Thriving Prisoner Support Movement: A panel discussion on prisoner support in various forms featuring former anarchist political prisoner Eric King, Josh from the Certain Days collective, and Pushing Down the Walls in Southern California. 3:30pm

Community Discussion on the Coming Terrain: Regardless of who wins the election, we have to build an autonomous movement that can sustain new forms of life outside and against the capitalist system. What are some of the lessons of the past ten years that we can draw on for the struggles to come? What do we see coming that we can prepare for? With speakers from the Black Rose Anarchist Federation in the bay area, Nor Cal Resist in Sacramento, Safe Redlands Schools in SoCal, and Rising Tide in Oregon. 5pm

Workshops and Presentations

Local groups and speakers will be presenting on autonomous organizing and ongoing struggles happening in our communities.

Know Your Rights in the Workplace: Are you curious about what rights you have at work, how new drug testing laws work, or how to form a union? This workshop will give an overview of the legal protections you have in the workplace and how to avail yourself of them. In it, we will discuss protections against discrimination on the basis of a protected category; the right to engage in workplace advocacy; the right to form, join, or support a union; and the basic requirements of wage and hour claims. The program will be led by Teamsters lawyer, Abel Rodriguez. In addition to representing unions and workers against corporations for the last five years, Abel is also a captain of a local Latino-led running club, Corremos Sacramento, where he and others organize marginalized people to be physically active and build community networks. 11am

Sacramento IWOC on Local Abolitionist Organizing: California IWOC members lead a critical group discussion on the prison system and the resistance to it, with a focus on gender, race and labor. Participants will share insights and knowledge of the system, turn it into analysis, and consider how to weave prisoner solidarity more deeply into existing labor unions, mutual aid, community defense, and other organizing efforts. 12pm

Gun Culture and Firearms Outside of the far-Right: Local groups including the Socialist Rifle Association (SRA) in Sacramento discuss their approach to community self-defense and firearms training outside of the right-wing dominated gun culture. 1pm

From the A to the Bay and Beyond: One Year in and Next Steps for the Struggle Against Cop Campus: Cop City in Atlanta, Georgia was designed to be the model future outpost for urban militarization, digital surveillance, and state repression. Since the fight to stop its construction started over four years ago, researchers have discovered over 70 more police training centers in development across the country, including plans to build one in the Bay Area. Although delayed by popular resistance for two months, San Pablo city officials and local developers broke ground in October 2023 on the $44,000,000 Cop City-style project. Join local organizers to learn about updates and how you can get involved in the movement to stop Cop Campus. 2pm

Safe Redlands Schools on Pushing Back Against Far-Right Attacks on Our Schools: Antifascist parents from Safe Redlands Schools report on organizing resistance to far-Right attacks on public schools in Southern California and beyond. 3pm

Radical Parenting Discussion Circle: For Parents, Caregivers and Allies: A conversation that explores what youth liberation-aligned radical parenting can look like. What does it mean to be an anti-authoritarian parent and an advocate of youth? The discussion may include youth oppression, schooling and unschooling options, motivation and discipline, intersectional experiences, creating community with other families, and how allies can support radical families. Led by Kaley, a parent, youth advocate and community organizer. 4pm

Benefit for Mutual Aid in Palestine on September 6th

The night before the Sacramento Anarchist Bookfair, join us in Sacramento for a special benefit for the Sanabel Team, a grassroots mutual aid group in Palestine. We will also be writing letters and postcards to political prisoners. Come out! Event starts at 6pm, at the Nor Cal Resist space. The space is located at 2775 Cottage Way, #15, in Sacramento, CA.

Other Bookfair Updates

Hands-On Skillshares: Like last year, we will have several featured hands-on skillshares running throughout the bookfair. These will including trainings on how to administer Narcan, DIY book binding, and basic medic skills.

Kids’ Zone: This year our friends at Nor Cal Resist will be running an outdoor area just for parents and kids! Come by and hang out!

Raffle: To help benefit the Washington Neighborhood Center, we will be holding a raffle featuring items from many of our vendors.

Food: This year will feature grub from local food trucks. Come hungry!

Shirts: Like last year, we’ve made a brand new shirt design to help benefit the bookfair. Don’t forget to pick one up!

Mask Up!: Due to the ongoing threat of COVID, we again are asking people to mask. We will have masks, hand sanitizer, and testing kits upon entry, along with fans and air purifiers throughout the space.

Volunteer: Roll up your sleeves and let’s do this thang! Email us at sacabf [at] proton.me to get involved.

Social Media: Follow us on Instagram for more updates and ways to support!

Promote: Help us promote the event! Share the flyer and workshop schedule on social media and with friends!