When we think of the Teamsters union, we often think of the mob and the figure of Jimmy Hoffa, memorialized by countless Hollywood films. Yet Ken Paff reminds us that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters should also conjure up in our minds rank and file militancy and enormous worker power in key sectors of the … Continued
Zombies are almost the mascots of our dark times. Hard to avoid in popular culture, they have become so ubiquitous that even the Centers for Disease Control put out a tongue in cheek guide to surviving the zombie apocalypse. Sarah Juliet Lauro discusses the origins of the zombie, from enslaved worker to liberated rebel in … Continued
We expect to find strawberries in the supermarket all year round. But geographer Julie Guthman argues that for strawberries to be produced throughout the year — which used to be harvested a few weeks in spring — has required an enormous marshaling of chemical fumigants, pesticides, workers’ labor, and land. And that effort is now … Continued
If we look back over the 20th century and even into the 19th, we can see a series of historical periods that shaped how food was produced and consumed. And we can see how periods of relative stability alternated with periods of crisis. Sociologist Harriet Friedmann discusses her theory of food regimes and what they … Continued
Within the left, debates rage over whether we should focus on race, class, or gender as the primary form of oppression today. Josh Fattal points to the writings of CLR James and Raya Dunaevskaya as a way out of the conundrum: they saw the struggles of one oppressed group acting as spores for spreading revolt … Continued
When we on the left talk about the plight of the Palestinians, we usually talk about land – and rightly so. The dispossession of the Palestinians of their land has been a central element of the project of Israeli settler colonialism. But often what is forgotten is the question of Palestinian labor, its fundamental role … Continued
Socialist Yugoslavia was born out of resistance to fascist occupation during WW2 and ended in dismemberment and civil war. Today, Yugoslavia’s demise is much better remembered than what came before it. Yet socialist Yugoslavia forged a different path from that of the Soviet Union, which broke with it, and experimented with a form of workers’ … Continued
We often hear how poorly educated American students are, ill prepared for 21st century tech jobs, which go to other workers in other countries. But what if more education will not lead to more highly paid skilled jobs? Educational psychologist Gerald Coles discusses how American companies are getting the workers they need, since most of … Continued
From at least the Haitian Revolution to the present, black and brown people in the Western Hemisphere have linked arms in solidarity with each other. Historian Paul Ortiz discusses how we can’t understand the United States and its past without looking beyond its borders. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Paul Ortiz, An African American and Latinx History … Continued
By way of celebrating International Workers Day, or May Day, we look back at the legendary union, the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, with historian Kenyon Zimmer. He discusses the lessons to be learned from how the Wobblies fought back and united workers across cultural and racial differences. Resources: Peter Cole, David Struthers, … Continued
