The First Decoration Day

A precursor to Memorial Day occurred in 1865 when thousands of freed slaves marched in Charleston, South Carolina to declare their sense of the meaning of the Civil War, that it was about their emancipation over a slaveholders' republic.

The Debt Ceiling Deal

The slings and arrows in this agreement result from the failure to solve the debt ceiling in 2022 when Democrats controlled the government. It generally makes things a little bit worse. That this is seen as progress is a sad commentary on Washington.

This Week in People’s History, May 30 . . .

In a non-union textile mill, a union organizer leads workers in a protest.
Union organizer fired for insubordination. In 1779, no peace for Native Americans. Sojourner Truth takes her new name. Child labor on the rise. "No nukes" on Long Island. Boston says NO! to slave-catchers. Anti-slavery novel is a best-seller.

Debt Ceiling Agreement

Troubling elements include the provision that will put at risk food assistance for very low-income older adults. This policy will increase hunger and poverty among that group, runs contrary to our nation’s values, and should be rejected.

The Clintons and the Rich Women

Who is Marc Rich? And why did he need a presidential pardon?

Ultra Violence

Rachel Maddow’s podcast tells the story of American Nazis in the 1940s. But the era’s real and lasting authoritarian danger came from the spectacular growth of a national security state.

Socialists Want To Crack Down on Israeli War Crimes

A law proposed by New York socialist legislators would prohibit charitable organizations in New York from funding Israel’s illegal settlements — and pick a fight with the powerful pro-Israel organizations that regularly try to destroy progressive can

Fossil Teeth Reveal How Brains Developed

The rate of prenatal growth directly relates to how big an adult brain grows. How and when Homo sapiens‘ high prenatal growth rate evolved has been a mystery, until now.

One Big Union

The Red Scare and the fall of the IWW. A new history examines the lost promise and fierce persecution of the IWW.

Wave of Lawsuits Against US Gun Makers

Campaigners take legal route after success against big tobacco and other industries led to change
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Culture

poetry

Simply Breathing

Beau Beausoleil Killing George Floyd
Three years after the murder of George Floyd on March 25 2020, San Francisco poet Beau Beausoleil offers a limited portfolio of 20 poems as homage and legacy. (More will follow in June.)

food

The Irish Fasting Tradition

Livia Gershon JSTOR
Particularly before the Second Vatican Council (a.k.a. Vatican II), fasting was part of the Catholic calendar. No one took it more seriously than the Irish.

Labor

labor

In 49 States, Your Boss Can Hold You Captive

Hamilton Nolan Working In These Times
Minnesota just banned captive audience meetings, presumably understanding that it is unreasonable to force working people to attend mandatory meetings at which their boss delivers to them the equivalent of an Ayn Rand book reading.

labor

Hot Labor Summer

Bill Lipton The Forge
This summer’s labor fights are an important opportunity for an increasingly militant labor movement to win critical battles. But it could be more than that. It might also be an opportunity for allies to begin to build a solidarity machine.

Friday nite video

video

AI Assists 50-Year Math Breakthrough

Researchers at Google research lab DeepMind trained an AI system called AlphaTensor to find new, faster algorithms to tackle an age-old math problem: matrix multiplication.

video

Masters Of War | Bob Dylan (The RoJ LiGht Cover)

Dylan's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, debuted 60 years ago, in May 1963. It marked the beginning of the period of Dylan's intense political engagement, including the songs Masters of War, Blowin' in the Wind  and A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall.