“Now Is a Good Time for Working People to Get Involved in Politics”
Jacobin spoke with Lili Baiman, a democratic socialist running for Columbus, Ohio city council. She wants to support the city’s labor movement and strengthen tenants’ rights. Socialism, for her, “means power and equality.”
Liliana Rivera Baiman is a member of Democratic Socialists of America who is running for city council in Columbus, Ohio. (Katie Forbes)
Liliana Rivera Baiman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a working mother, an immigrant, and a community and union organizer who’s running for city council in Columbus, Ohio.
Jacobin’s Meagan Day spoke to Baiman about the power of a city council to fight for workers and unions, Baiman’s experience growing up in a co-op village in Mexico, how the labor movement activated her politically, and what working-class people deserve.
Meagan Day
A central tenet of your campaign is the One Good Job demand. You say, “One Good Job means strong unions, higher wages, better benefits, paid parental leave, universal childcare, and more.” Let’s talk about this in greater detail. If unemployment is supposedly dropping, then what’s the problem you want to address? What pressures are people under, even when they’re employed?
Liliana Rivera Baiman
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