Work changed dramatically during the Covid pandemic. Enormous numbers of people lost their jobs, while others were able to work remotely. And then there were so-called essential workers, whose in-person jobs put them at the highest risk. In response, many of them organized, often informally. Sociologist Jamie McCallum argues that the struggles of essential workers … Continued
Since well before Covid, U.S. media has been in dire straits. Hedge funds demanding sky-high profits have gobbled up established newspapers, while local reporting has disappeared. Media conglomerates have laid off journalists in record numbers, gutting coverage of the misdeeds of the powerful. And yet over the last five years, as Jon Schleuss of the … Continued
Cultural and media workers have a disproportionate impact on how other workers see themselves and the world they live in, whether it’s by selling them something or presenting them with dissenting views. As historian Shannan Clark argues, there was a time when a great many cultural workers saw consumption itself as a political act. Such … Continued
The coronavirus pandemic has put gig workers in the forefront of the conversation centered around worker’s rights. Considered essential workers, many of who are struggling with whether to stay on the road (and risk the physical health) or stay home and face economic uncertainty due to the lack of employment protections. (We also cover the … Continued
We speak with organizers Carlos Gabriel and Rachel Jackson about Tesla violation of the county’s shelter-in-place order that forced the electric car maker to cease vehicle production at its factories in California and ongoing attempts to sabotage employee efforts to form a union. We also discuss the upcoming general worker strike 2.0 scheduled for June … Continued
We speak with Desi Danganan about the work of #FilipinosFeedTheFrontline, an alliance of Filipino food businesses and like-minded individuals and organizations that have come together to provide meals to heal their community. We also speak with two Bay Area artists Raw G (Gina Madrid) and Equipto about #CancelRent Festival. In 43 days,#FilipinosFeedTheFrontline raised $83,757 from … Continued
When activists and advocates are up against a shelter-in-place order, when everything we usually do is completely impossible, who you gonna call? That’s right! Disability Justice! Call ‘em now at 1-800-CRIP-POC-CRIP! Why them, you ask. Because over the past couple of decades activists with disabilities, in particular activists of color, have blazed a path of … Continued
If I asked you to picture a digital activist, I’d wager that you’d envision a progressive. But sociologist Jen Schradie says that’s misguided. In fact, the typical profile of an internet activist is a conservative. Schradie discusses the internet and the left and right. Resources: Jen Schradie, The Revolution That Wasn’t: How Digital Activism Favors … Continued
Do protest marches work? It’s a tactic the left returns to again and again, since the iconic March on Washington in 1963. Grassroots organizer L.A. Kauffman argues that they do have a positive impact, but not in the ways we usually expect. (Encore presentation.) Resources: L.A. Kauffman, How to Read a Protest: The Art of … Continued
If it feels like an uphill battle to organize against climate change in this country, imagine the challenges in Canada where a significant part of the economy is based on fossil fuel extraction and transport. Yet Canada also has multiple inspiring movements, with indigenous people at the forefront, fighting to leave coal, oil and gas … Continued
