Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt

In his book "Tip of the Spear," Oriasanmi Burton explores the Long Attica Revolt, a criminalized tradition of Black radicalism that propelled rebellions in New York prisons during the 1970s, and how state actors use violence, isolation, sexual terror, propaganda, reform, and white supremacist science and technology to eliminate Black resistance. He expands the state records beyond what other histories have relied on, drawing on oral history and Black radical theory to center the intellectual and political goals of the incarcerated people who led the struggle.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Publisher: University of California Press

In a groundbreaking reinterpretation of the revolutionary 1970s uprising known as Attica, Orisanmi Burton's book Tip of the Spear presents a radical perspective that shook abolitionist movements and revolutionized the prison system. By delving into the Long Attica Revolt, a criminalized tradition of Black radicalism that fueled rebellions in New York prisons during that era, Burton challenges the conventional understanding of prisons as mere institutions. Instead, he argues that prisons are a realm of hidden warfare within the United States borders.

Through his exploration of the Long Attica Revolt, Burton sheds light on what he calls prison pacification, a coordinated set of tactics employed by state actors to suppress Black resistance both within and beyond prison walls. These tactics encompass a range of violent measures, isolation, sexual violence, propaganda, reform efforts, and the deployment of white supremacist science and technology. By expanding beyond the state records traditionally relied upon in the narrative of Attica, Burton incorporates oral history and applies Black radical theory in a way that centers the intellectual and political aspirations of the incarcerated individuals who spearheaded the struggle.

Packed with invaluable insights from the prison movement, the Black Panther Party, and the Black Liberation Army, Tip of the Spear offers a transformative perspective on prisons. It challenges our perception of these institutions as mere sites of race and class warfare, counterinsurgency, and genocide, revealing them as sources of defiant Black life, revolutionary consciousness, and abolitionist possibilities. By delving into the untold stories and experiences of those who fought for justice within the confines of prison walls, Burton provides a roadmap for understanding the complexities of the criminal justice system and the ongoing struggle for liberation.

Weight: 464g
Dimension: 153 x 229 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520396326