From the Roots: A Zine About Preemption and the Fight for Self Determination

What is preemption?

Preemption is when a higher level of government, usually the state, blocks, overrides, or strips away the power of a lower level of government, like the policies enacted in your city or county. It is a tool of white supremacy and state control, blocking Black and other communities of color from building power, passing laws, and caring for one another.

We offer this zine as a political education tool for organizers, students and community members who want to understand how policies like preemption have been used to undermine the self-determination of Black people and other communities of color.

We encourage you to use this zine creatively, to print copies and distribute widely. Together, we can fight for a multiracial democracy, self-determination and the liberation of marginalized communities.