“We Know What the Pigs Don’t Like”: the Formation and Solidarity of the Original Rainbow Coalition

Abstract

The Original Rainbow Coalition is often revered as an “inter-racial” alliance that included the Black Panthers, Young Lords, and Young Patriots. Re-contextualizing the formation of the coalition in relation to population violence in Chicago, this article documents the Rainbow Coalition as a political strategy that opposed the economization of poverty. Led by Fred Hampton, the Rainbow Coalition practiced an unconventional solidarity that also challenged the anti-racism strategies proposed by civil rights, cultural nationalist, and New Left organizations, alike.