Bob Moses (1935–2021)
Legendary civil rights champion Bob Moses died over the weekend at age eighty-six. He was a brilliant organizer who believed deeply in the capacity of ordinary people to change the world.
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Rustin the Liberal Biopic Versus Rustin the Labor Activist
Netflix’s new feel-good Bayard Rustin biopic, Rustin, claims the civil rights hero has been forgotten because of his sexuality. But it was his fiery and provocative class politics that makes him both controversial and prophetic today.
Why Liberals Separate Race from Class
The tendency to divorce racial disparities from economic inequality has a long liberal lineage.
To Rev. Angela Cowser, “the Biblical Basis for Socialism Is Undeniable”
Rev. Angela Cowser, a cofounder of the Institute for Christian Socialism, argues that a society rooted in the dictates of the Gospel would look radically different from the one we have now. There is a name for what that change should look like: socialism.
Gandhi Led a Mass Movement for India’s Freedom — But He Also Constricted It
The movement led by Gandhi is a touchstone for advocates of non-violent resistance today. But the conventional view overlooks the limitations of Gandhi’s political philosophy, and the importance of insurrectionary struggles that he opposed in the fight for Indian independence.
Summer of Soul Is an Enthralling and Emotional Concert Film 50 Years in the Making
With historic performances by everyone from Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight to Nina Simone and Sly and the Family Stone, Questlove’s documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival is a moving portrait of black music and a radical political and cultural moment.
Sidney Poitier Was an Icon. But Oprah Winfrey’s Documentary Sidney Is Too Worshipful a Tribute.
The new Oprah Winfrey–produced Sidney Poitier documentary, Sidney, is a gushing tribute film, not a fully rounded portrait of a human being who had weaknesses to go along with his many strengths.
Automation Doesn’t Have to Mean Unemployment and Misery
Automation won’t necessarily lead to either mass unemployment or a utopian workless future. Power and politics impact how automation affects work — which means that automation can create dignified jobs through class struggle.
The X-Files: The Truth Was Out There
The classic show The X-Files celebrated and satirized America’s love of conspiracy theories before they became an all-consuming obsession. When the show returned to the air after a long gap, it had to confront a culture of paranoia that made Fox Mulder’s imagination look tame.
Jackie Robinson Was More Than a Baseball Player
Jackie Robinson is popularly portrayed as a mainstream figure who broke baseball’s color line by quietly enduring racist abuse. But he was much more a lifelong activist and defiant crusader for civil rights.
When the Black Political Class Betrayed Black Workers
Martin Luther King Jr died supporting striking black sanitation workers in the South. Less than a decade later, a black Atlanta mayor and King’s own father were attacking that same group of workers and breaking their strike. Black urban governance is meaningless without a commitment to strengthening the public sector and rejecting the logic of austerity.
Sam Pollard Talks About Arthur Ashe, “The Jackie Robinson of Tennis”
Sam Pollard sat down with Jacobin to discuss his new documentary on black tennis legend Arthur Ashe — the man who broke down the racial barrier in “the sport of kings.”
A. J. Muste Was a Prophet of the 20th-Century US Left
This Easter, we should remember the rich tradition of Christian socialism in the US. And one of that tradition’s most important figures is the radical leader A. J. Muste, whose religious faith animated his commitment to socialism and nonviolence.
The Clock Is Ticking on the Deadline for a Giant Strike at UPS
Contract negotiations between shipping giant UPS and its 340,000-strong Teamsters workforce resumed last week. If they can’t come to an agreement by August 1, the union will go on strike — which would be the largest at a private employer in decades.
Selma Is Now
Ava DuVernay's Selma is a reminder of how unfinished the struggle for equality and democracy is.
Mad Men and the Movement
Mad Men succeeded in showing how social change seeps into otherwise unremarkable lives.
The Problem With Gun Control
Homophobic and racist violence won't be fixed by heavily armed police or discriminatory gun control.
When the Old World Unraveled
Before 1968, we felt confident in everything. Afterwards, we knew everything had to change.
Respect Is a Weak Portrait of the Hellaciously Strong Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin was a legend. But the new Franklin biopic, Respect, is a forgettable film that avoids the darker and more difficult parts of her life.
The CIA Is Still Spying on American Citizens and Lying About It
The CIA has operated above the law and resisted accountability throughout the century, and now we find out it’s been operating an illegal domestic spying program for years.