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Portside Says: Multiracial Democracy or No Democracy at All

Portside
The danger of a fascist-like regime consolidating its power has been averted. For now. But make no mistake: The issue of whether we will move forward or be dragged into an abyss has been postponed, not decided. Please help - Portside's annual appeal.

Thanksgiving Letter from Harry

Carl Dennis poets.org
The prize-winning poet Carl Dennis offers an ironic thanksgiving greeting, one that reminds us of what blessings we North Americans have as well as the abuse we have made of those very blessings.

Bella Abzug - The Fighter

Maggie Doherty New York Review of Books
On the feisty congresswoman’s posthumous return to the spotlight. Abzug’s encounters with sexism pushed her toward feminism, and so did the support she received from female constituents and supporters after she was elected.

The Mythic Whiteness of the Hillbilly

Ellen Wayland-Smith Boston Review
Ron Howard’s Netflix adaptation of Hillbilly Elegy continues a long tradition of seeing hillbillies as a symbol of pristine American whiteness. It’s the same nostalgia Trump has mobilized on the far right.

Hoax

Donna Pucciani Plainssong
Chicago poet Donna Pucciani speaks to the cruel conditions facing young refugees, the idea they are not even people.

The Long Shadow of Racial Fascism

Alberto Toscano Boston Review
Recent debates have centered on whether it’s appropriate to compare Trump to European fascists. But radical Black thinkers have long argued that racial slavery created its own unique form of American fascism.