We’re in a Class War. Jane McAlevey Actually Acted Like It.
No one believed in and embodied the labor movement’s transformative power more than organizer, strategist, and writer Jane McAlevey.
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Jane McAlevey Knew We Could Win
Among Jane McAlevey’s many audacious projects in the labor movement, her organizer training program, Organizing for Power, is one of her most innovative. Reaching tens of thousands of workers worldwide, her ideas and commitment will live on through it.
Talking Rural America With Thomas Frank
Urban elites’ contempt for rural America is centuries old — but so is rural populist resistance.
How San Francisco Longshoremen Made Their Union a Powerhouse
When they started strategically resisting the bosses’ divisive tactics, meeting racism with solidarity, San Francisco longshoremen went “from wharf rats to the lords of the docks.”
Bring American Communists Out of the Shadows — and Closets
In the 20th century, American Communist Party members were portrayed as the Red Menace, an enemy within. In reality, they were ordinary people with extraordinarily complex intellectual, political, social, and romantic lives that deserve to be chronicled.
The UAW May Strike to Reopen a Shuttered Stellantis Factory
With their Big Three strike last year, the United Auto Workers made Stellantis agree to reopen its recently closed Belvidere, Illinois, plant. UAW members at other Stellantis factories across the US may have to strike to force the company to keep its word.
The Bill of Rights Was a Concession to Popular Struggles
Early US elites drafted the Constitution to check democratic uprisings that threatened the power of the ruling class. The Bill of Rights, a late addition to the Constitution that protected important freedoms, was a concession to these popular struggles.
Jordan Peterson’s Take on the Bible Is as Bad as You’d Think
In his latest book, right-wing provocateur Jordan Peterson looks to extract existential and political lessons from the Old Testament. Far from probing deep truths, it’s a shallow, self-serving exercise in culture war.
Jimmy Carter Worsened the American Malaise He Decried
In July 1979, Jimmy Carter described a spiritual “crisis of confidence” that could “destroy the social and the political fabric of America.” But the neoliberal policies of his administration helped make the US a more atomized, mean-spirited society.
Why Elites Love Identity Politics
The Democratic Party at every level spent years embracing identity politics that mostly served the interests of professionals, argues Catalyst editor Vivek Chibber. We need a return to class.
In 1930s NYC, Proportional Representation Boosted the Left
In New York City, a disgraced mayor and a discredited Democratic Party are creating potential openings for socialists. NYC history suggests that the Left might profitably revive proportional representation as a tool to build its electoral strength.
Labor Must Take a Stand for Free Speech
It is strategically and morally necessary for labor unions to fight Trump’s attacks on freedom of speech, writes painters' union president Jimmy Williams Jr. That means standing up for Mahmoud Khalil.
Veteran Brittany Ramos DeBarros Is Running for Congress to Stop America’s Endless Wars
In New York’s 11th Congressional District, two veterans are competing for the Democratic nomination. One is a centrist who will strengthen the military-industrial complex; the other is a democratic socialist who built her career fighting it.
The Art of Demanding
Of all the internal controversies Occupy generated, the one over whether the movement should adopt specific demands may have been the most significant.
The Strike That Didn’t Change New York
The Chicago teachers’ strike was a victory for workers around the country. But how do we move from homegrown resistance to a national movement that could ignite a shift in public policy?
The Forgotten Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks may be lionized for her defiance on the bus, but that episode doesn’t do justice to her career as an organizer.
“No Excuses” in New Orleans
It’s been a decade since New Orleans' post-Katrina charter school experiment began. The results have been devastating.
Writing History with Wite-Out
PBS’s The Abolitionists relegates African Americans to little more than background scenery to a struggle against slavery won by whites.
The Socialism of Bernie Sanders
Jacobin contributors on Bernie Sanders' democratic socialism speech and what his candidacy means for the Left.
Hillary Clinton’s Empowerment
Hillary Clinton isn't a champion of women's rights. She's the embodiment of corporate feminism.