The Seattle Liberation Front: Exploring (Former) Student Activism of the Late New Left Era

• In Event: Spaces of Protests: Student Activism in the Post-World War II Era

Abstract

This paper explores the trajectory of the late New Left movement, particularly Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the splintering of the group into various violent factions. By examining off-campus activism in the Seattle area, the paper helps substantiate literature that points to the late 1960s & early 1970s as a historical moment where former SDS members and other young activists refocused their efforts on local projects. Through autonomous collectives, reminiscent of SDS's ERAP, the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF) was able to meet reasonable success in their goal to work for progressive change in the Puget Sound area. The paper documents several lasting examples of this success in the form of health care clinics, bookstores and food banks.

Author

• Jacob Benjamin Starsky, University of Washington