Why Greta is Good
Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager and climate activist, has grabbed the world’s attention and kept it focused on the threat of climate change. She’s an unlikely leader of a world movement — and yet uniquely suited for that role.
259 Articles by: Liza Featherstone
Liza Featherstone is a columnist for Jacobin, a freelance journalist, and the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart.
Why Political Candidates’ Family and Friends Are Fair Game
Class shapes our social world — not just through the economy, but through our personal networks. Whether it’s Kamala Harris’s corporate lawyer husband or Elizabeth Warren’s McKinsey alum daughter, it’s legitimate to ask how a politician’s class connections might influence the decisions they make in office.
The DNC Doesn’t Want a Climate Debate for a Reason
The DNC has banned the Democratic presidential candidates from taking part in any debate on the most urgent issue of our time: climate change. The party’s fealty to plutocratic donors and centrist has-been politicians has never been more apparent.
The Seventh-Inning Stretch Under Socialism
It’s possible to elevate the working class without the jingoism.
After Releasing His Incredibly Strong Labor Plan, Will Unions Back Bernie Now?
Bernie Sanders just unleashed the most pro-union platform in recent history. The labor movement should finally wake up and endorse him.
Socialists Need to Be Part of the Labor Movement
Politico recently attacked the Democratic Socialists of America for the high crime of looking to transform the labor movement. But for young socialists, there are few better ways of doing politics than getting a union job and working to push that union to the left.
Bring a Book
Socialism’s detractors love to natter on about long lines, but under capitalism, we wait around endlessly.
Socialists Should Support Sex Workers’ Rights
The criminalization of sex work is an attack on the lives and livelihoods of working-class people. Socialists should support decriminalization.
No One Should Have to Rely on Good Samaritans
The internet loves heartwarming tales about Good Samaritans helping people in need. But they’re also horrifying warning signs of a society unwilling to provide social support for the vulnerable. Meeting people’s basic needs shouldn’t depend on individuals’ altruism.
The Worst Environmentalists in the World
The New York chapter of the League of Conservation Voters is a cesspool of fossil fuel greenwashing.
Megan Rapinoe Deserves Equal Pay — And So Do All Women
The US victory in the Women’s World Cup highlighted pay discrimination against women in sports. But the problem persists throughout the economy — especially in jobs without unions.
Warren Is No Hillary. She’s Also No Bernie.
The feud between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren supporters is getting ridiculous. Warren isn’t Hillary and Bernie is no sexist.
The Democrats’ Climate Death Drive
The Republicans are a climate-denying suicide cult — everybody knows this. But in their own desperation to avoid debate on the climate crisis, the Democratic National Committee isn’t far behind.
How We Won a $15 Minimum Wage and More
It’s been five years since Seattle’s landmark $15 minimum wage law. It not only helped workers — it raised their expectations about what’s possible and what they deserve.
Taking What’s Ours From Walmart
This week, Bernie Sanders is going to Walmart’s annual stockholders meeting. He’ll be pushing the company to give the people who create Walmart’s wealth — its workers — representation on the company’s board.
A Generation Is Learning How to Strike
The US Youth Climate Strike is building a culture of resistance among young people that hasn’t been seen in this country in decades. Isra Hirsi — the daughter of Ilhan Omar — is at the center of it.
A Defeat for Frackers
Hunger strikers in New York chalked up a win this week when Governor Andrew Cuomo rejected a gas pipeline off the coast of Long Island.
With Child and Out of a Job
Pregnancy discrimination is rampant and devastating for its victims. But in a tight labor market, it may be a problem for capital, too.
The Scale of the Problem
We may be witnessing the first stirrings of a climate movement that’s big enough to tackle the coming disaster — and radical enough to name the system responsible for it.
Not In Labor
With meager public support for parents, US women are having fewer children than ever. Raising the next generation is work — and American women seem to be on strike.