Message to the People of Woodstock Nation
Ann Arbor, MI: White Panther Party, 1970. Early Printing. Octavo, publisher’s stapled stiff illustrated paper wraps, various colored paper stocks.
Pamphlet manifesto by American poet, writer, and radical activist John Sinclair, published by his Ann Arbor-based White Panther Party. Established by Sinclair, his wife Leni, and Pun Plamondon, the anti-racist and anti-capitalist political collective openly allied with the Black Panther Party, organized protests against the Vietnam War and racial injustice, distributed free food and legal aid, and promoted communal living among other revolutionary practices. Originally published in underground periodicals in the summer of 1970, the text was written by Sinclair in May of that year, during his incarceration for marijuana possession, and offers a wide-ranging examination of the youth counterculture broadly labeled "Woodstock Nation." Rather than criticizing the demographic, Sinclair outlines the movement’s potential guiding principles, critiques US military, racial, and economic policies, calls for solidarity with global liberation struggles, and urges direct action to achieve social and cultural change. Illustrated with photos and reproductions printed in multiple colors on various colored paper stocks; with an open letter from Timothy Leary. Pamphlet dated September 15, 1970. Moderate soiling and light creasing to wraps. Very good. Scarce. Item #12413
$250.00