Overview
- Stacey Patton, a journalism professor at Howard University, published a Substack essay titled “John Brown Didn’t Ask Enslaved People How to Be A Good White Ally.”
- The post tells white allies to stop asking for guidance and to “be like John Brown,” asking what they are “willing to burn so somebody else can breathe.”
- Patton writes that allies need decisive action and acknowledges risk with the line, “If you don’t want to die like John Brown, fine, but understand that somebody always does.”
- Coverage situates her argument in John Brown’s violent history, including the 1856 Pottawatomie killings and the 1859 Harpers Ferry raid that led to his execution.
- Reports also note recent references to Brown by far-left groups, citing charges against Benjamin Song, identified as a John Brown Gun Club member, while Patton declined to comment.