Boots Riley’s I’m a Virgo Is a Blast of Fresh Air
I’m a Virgo is a superhero satire about a 13-foot-tall black teenager making his way in Oakland. It’s far more wild and surprising than almost anything we normally see on TV.
19512 Articles by: Karl Leffme
Karl Leffme is a socialist in New York CIty.
The Luddites Were Onto Something
England’s Luddites are often dismissed as kooky technophobes. In reality, theirs was a gutsy pre-Marxist workers’ movement that prioritized people and nature over private property.
Nelson Lichtenstein on a Half-Century of American Class Struggle
Labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein reflects on his long life and career, including Berkeley in the 1960s, Walter Reuther and the early UAW, Walmart, Bill Clinton, and much more.
After More Than Two Years, Canada’s Longest Active Strike Is Still Going Strong
The owners of a Vancouver hotel cashed in millions from government programs and then fired over 140 workers. The workers fought back, and now their labor dispute has surpassed the two-year mark, marking it as Canada’s longest ongoing strike.
Flanders Was the Epicenter of Class Conflict in Medieval Europe
During the late medieval period, Flanders experienced a wave of social protest and rebellion by artisans and peasants that had no parallel elsewhere in Europe. It’s a vital case study for anyone interested in the history of class conflict.
In New York State, Socialists Have Won a Landmark Victory for Green Jobs and Clean Public Power
This spring, socialists and allies in New York State passed legislation empowering the state to build renewable energy and create tens of thousands of good jobs. It can serve as a model for starting to build the Green New Deal at the state level across the US.
Mass Politics Will Win Palestinian Freedom
Guerilla armed struggle alone won’t accomplish the goals of Palestinian liberation, says longtime Palestinian leftist Issam Aruri. Strikes, demonstrations, and an organized movement of millions are the key to ending Israeli occupation.
France’s Fast-Track Courts Are Taking Revenge on Suburbs That Rioted
Last week’s rioting in France saw over 3,600 arrests, including 1,100 minors. Courts are already handing out long jail sentences to supposed culprits — answering the political demand for vengeance even as the suburbs’ plight goes ignored.
Jenin Was the First Victim of Israeli Apartheid
Israel’s recent bloody attack on Jenin is the latest in a long-standing attempt to pacify a Palestinian town that refuses to bow to Israeli occupation and apartheid.
Iran’s Rulers Have Contained the Protest Movement, but the System Is Far From Stable
The Iranian leadership has managed to contain the biggest protest wave since the 1979 revolution. De-escalation of geopolitical tensions with the US would help the protesters, making it harder to depict domestic dissent as the product of foreign interference.
The Corporate Takeover of Canadian News Media Is Accelerating
Canada’s beleaguered news media teeters on disaster as two media behemoths prepare to merge. The merger would intensify the concentration of power in the hands of predatory capitalists and imperil unbiased journalism in the country.
“Pro-Worker Conservatism” Has Only Empty Gestures for Workers
The “pro-worker” conservatism of Sohrab Ahmari has a critique of neoliberalism. But for all its ridiculing of the establishment, it has no real solutions to decades of attacks on labor.
The Child Labor of Early Capitalism Is Making a Big Comeback in the US
Child labor was common in urban, industrial America for most of the country’s history. It’s now making a disturbing comeback: lawmakers across the US are undertaking concerted efforts to weaken or repeal statutes that prohibit employing children.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon: We’re in Danger Because the Government No Longer Controls the Police
Emmanuel Macron’s party has accused an “incendiary” left of stirring up violent protests after the police murder of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk. For left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the problem is the government’s failure to rein in unaccountable police.
Teamsters Are Close to the Largest Strike in Decades
Today Teamsters are erecting practice picket lines as the July 31 expiration of their contract with UPS rapidly approaches. After negotiations broke down yesterday, the second-largest strike at a single employer in US history is a real possibility.
The Black Radical Tradition Can Guide Our Struggles Against Oppression
Historian Robin D. G. Kelley has uncovered a tradition of African American radicalism that was — and is — a crucial part of the American left’s history. He talks to Jacobin about the need to connect struggles against racism and class oppression.
Corporations Will Never Defend Social Justice
The recent success of right-wing boycotts against brands like Target and Bud Light proves yet again that profit-driven corporate actors are never going to be effective guardians of inclusion and human rights.
Rich Countries Are Exporting Climate Breakdown to the Global South
From waste to deforestation to drastic flooding, wealthy countries of the Global North are outsourcing the impacts of their resource extraction to poorer countries in the Global South. Call it “carbon colonialism.”
Toronto’s Metro Grocery Workers Have Voted Unanimously to Strike
After years of low wages and precarity, Metro grocery workers in the Greater Toronto Area have spoken loud and clear, voting 100% in favor of a strike. It’s a strong start to nationwide grocery sector contract talks in the wake of the pandemic profit surge.
The Nomination of Elliott Abrams Is a Stain on Joe Biden’s Human Rights Record
Elliott Abrams is one of America’s worst living human rights abusers. That the Biden administration would nominate him to anything other than a prison sentence is baffling.