from The Nation
When May 1 rolls around, the proposed general strike will probably not strictly resemble famed general strikes of history. But the tactic is no less significant now than it used to be. In fact, a lot rides on this upcoming May Day. This video, featuring archival footage and the words of Marina Sitrin, Francis Fox Piven and John Nichols, explains why the general strike matters so much, not just for Occupy and labor but for the legitimacy of democracy itself.
from The Nation
The idea of the general strike is not reformist simply because it demands changes to laws and working conditions. Rather, as Professor Gayatri Spivak of Columbia University argues in this video, the general strike is one vital tool in the array of tactics that must be used to fundamentally alter the relations between the classes. What’s more, revolution will not come about through a “catastrophic change” as was once imagined, and that concept should be given a decent burial.
from The Nation
Schools have morphed from extensions of a community into centers that more closely resemble factories and prisons, says David Stovall, associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. What will it take to confront this reality, instead of distancing ourselves from it, as we are now?
from rebuildthedream.com
Van Jones introduces the Rebuild the Dream Revivals, where musicians, artists, and community and national leaders are coming together with thousands of everyday people to envision an America that works for us all. RSVP now at http://rebuildrevivals.org/wi to join Rebuild Wisconsin on May 19 in Milwaukee.
from The Nation
The call for a general strike on May 1 should not be solely about work, argues Marina Sitrin, a postdoctoral fellow at CUNY specializing in global mass movements. Instead, it should reshape our ideas about how society is built, as Sitrin explains in this video, by asking hard questions about class, consumption, work and society.
Part two of an interview from Democracy Now!
DemocracyNow.org – In part two of our interview with Tavis Smiley and Prof. Cornel West they discuss growing up in working-class households. “I saw so much poverty growing up,” says Smiley, who lived with 13 family members in a three-bedroom trailer and learned that even when he was not optimistic, he could be hopeful. “Hope needs help,” Smiley notes. West recalls how he worked with the Black Panthers to organize a general strike while growing up in Sacramento, California, in order to push for African-American studies programs in local high schools. Looking at current events, Smiley and West cite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s comment that “war is the enemy of the poor.” They compare the amount of money spent on the war in Iraq, and the 2012 presidential campaign, to funding for programs that assist the one in two Americans who are now poor.
The first part of this discussion can be seen here.
from The Nation
The idea of a general strike might seem a little outdated for today’s global economy, but general strikes nevertheless demonstrate not just the power but also the necessity of coordinated action for social and economic justice. In this video, John Nichols, who grew up in a factory town, offers a brief overview of the history of unionization and the general strike and the impact of both on workers’ rights.
from the Center for American Progress
Join Paulie and Otis and Donna and Larry Smith as they take to the lanes for single payer, Saturday, May 12, 2012, at Diversey River Bowl in Chicago.
Visit any of these sites to register:
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