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How Bernie Sanders Delivered the Most Progressive Platform in Democratic Party History

 Heather Gautney The Nation
 Sanders was clear early on that his campaign aimed to fortify a grassroots movement, not himself as a candidate. He identified the platform as a way to register the Democratic Party’s commitment to a progressive agenda—a kind of peace treaty between the DNC and the political revolution, but also an historical marker of dissent from the party’s neoliberal agenda.

Coal and Silk: Two Impressive New Documentaries

Eric A. Gordon Hollywood Progressive
"Ludlow: Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War" and "The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble" -- two new documentaries, both of them stunning not only in their execution but in their implications, raise all the critical issues about the worth of human life. One takes place in the violent coal mines of the Southwest a century ago, and another takes place today in many locales leading up to appearances in concert halls all over the world.

Dial-An-Organizer: Using Storytelling and Emotion to Build Movements

Kressent Pottenger Murphy Institute Blog
The working women’s group 9to5 developed innovative ways for women to talk about their experiences in the workplace, in a way that was safe and encouraging. 9to5 showed that more than just presenting facts, good organizing also required creating spaces for workers to discuss their feelings.

Big Dreams and Bold Steps Toward a Police-Free Future

Rachel Herzing Truthout
Do police in the US keep anyone safe and secure other than the very wealthy? How do history and global context explain recent police killings of young Black people in the US? What alternative ways might there be to keep communities safe? These are questions explored in Truthout's first print collection, Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States.

Why Isn’t Native American Food Hip?

Emily DeRuy The Atlantic
Native American cooking has all the makings of a culinary trend, but it’s been limited by many diners’ unfamiliarity with its dishes and its loaded history.

Love, Justice and Dignity

Showing Up for Racial Justice Showing Up for Racial Justice
Thousands of people have reached out over the past week to connect with SURJ and find ways to move into action against police violence and for racial justice. Below is a statement from SURJ’s leadership in light of the 136 murders of Black people by police this year and the shooting in Dallas last night.

Trans Liberation Doesn't Come From a Military Uniform

Lily Zheng teleSUR
As the Pentagon prepares to lift a ban on transgender people serving in the military, Lily Zheng calls for a more radical "transgender rights" movement outside of assimilationist rhetoric and policies.

The Most Important Election of Your Life (Is Not This Year)

John Feffer TomDispatch
No one should take what Donald Trump stands for this election year less seriously because the man with the bouffant hairdo is the most fragile of creatures, and that the illusion of a campaign he had so singlehandedly created might dissolve at any moment. He may not be ultimate messenger; serious human being or candidate; but those he’s rallied to his side couldn’t be more human, serious, or needy. The messenger might not last; the message is another story entirely.