It Did Happen Here: An Antifascist People's History

Portland, Oregon, 1988: the brutal murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw by racist skinheads shocked the city.

It Did Happen Here compiles interviews with dozens of people who worked together during the waning decades of the twentieth century to reveal an inspiring collaboration between groups of immigrants, civil rights activists, militant youth, and queer organizers. This oral history focuses on participants in three core groups: the Portland chapters of Anti-Racist Action and Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, and the Coalition for Human Dignity.

Using a diversity of tactics-from out-and-out brawls on the streets and at punk shows, to behind-the-scenes intelligence gathering--brave antiracists unified on their home ground over and over, directly attacking right-wing fascists and exposing white nationalist organizations and neo-Nazi skinheads. Embattled by police and unsupported by the city, these citizen activists eventually drove the boneheads out of the music scene and off the streets of Portland. This book shares their stories about what worked, what didn't, and ideas on how to continue the fight.

Moe Bowstern is an @-zone alum, writer, laborer, Fisher Poet, and DIY social practice artist. Moe is the longtime editor of many publications, including the commercial fishing zine Xtra Tuf. She was a writer on the podcast version of It Did Happen Here and lives in Portland, OR.

Julie Perini makes experimental and documentary films and teaches at Portland State University. Julie was a researcher and archivist on the podcast version of It Did Happen Here.

Erin Yanke is a self-taught multimedia artist, podcast producer, radical documentarian, and a lifer. She is Operations Manager at Outside the Frame, an adjunct instructor of podcasting at Portland State University, and was the executive producer of It Did Happen Here.