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Analysis Of Laura Pulido's Black Brown, Yellow, And Left

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The book Black, Brown, Yellow, and Left, by Laura Pulido, studies the politicization process which led to the development of several Third World Left activist groups in Los Angeles, as well as their defining characteristics. To do so, Pulido outlines salient historical continuities that shaped resulting racial and economic landscapes, which in turn influenced how activist groups framed their goals and chose the methods they used to achieve those goals. With politicization as a foundation for her argument, Pulido demonstrates how the Third World Left, in varying degrees, failed to take into account the larger racial and economic structures which shaped their development, and highlights the resulting lack of solidarity among the groups which …show more content…

However, taken out of context, these fail to account for the fractured nature of the Third World Movement. A sense of awakening among groups that have been historically marginalized would suggest that a unified movement should have been inevitable. While historical events serve as good starting points for analyzing the politicization process, Pulido places a particular emphasis on understanding how the historical setting, in tandem with racial and economic hierarchies, influenced the activities of Third World Left activist groups. A compelling example in this regard is the relationship between the Black Panther Party (BPP) and whites during this time period. The BPP, being a Third World activist group which espoused a “rhetoric of Third World solidarity”, understandably did not allow whites to join the group (163). Nevertheless, the BPP did work together with whites, who provided “resources, skills and connections that the Panthers desperately needed,” especially in legal matters (164). The cooperation between the two groups suggests, on the part of the Panthers, an understanding of the underlying racial hierarchy and the resulting economic hierarchy, and an attempt to use this awareness to further their goals. This is a sensible choice, especially considering the fact that the BPP was founded on the idea of mobilizing the “lumpen proletariat” to protect their own (144), leaving them with little

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