Finally Got the News, on Another Continent

For many of its initial viewers, Finally Got the News gave food for thought to those who had paid little or no attention to the tens of millions of unwaged and waged workers of non-European origins who have toiled for capitalism in the modern era worldwide. The distinctive feature of Finally Got the News is that it shows Black Detroit, in the aftermath of the 1967 Rebellion, taking freedom of speech seriously and speaking for itself without any deference to condescending powers. The film made a particular impact on young working class and student activists who gathered for two days of political debate on an isolated farm near Florence in August 1970, a meeting organized by the Italian extra-parliamentary group, Potere Operaio (PO). One of the leaders of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, John Watson, introduced the film with his history of the self-activity of African American laborers in the United States. In the end, many found the translation of Watsons' ideas on screen more compelling than Watsons' own in-person presentation. The Florence screening of Finally Got the News ended with big applause. I recount the events herein and put the film in dialogue with revolutionary currents throughout postwar Europe.