Portside

The Obama era reminded us all that popular movements play an essential role as catalysts for political action. The enthusiasm generated by the Sanders campaign was a surprise, but it did not spring from the void. Any new radicalism needs to learn from the past, but not simply to reenact it. The new American radicalism must be open and multifaceted, speaking the language of American society but receptive to insights from an increasingly interconnected world.

“For Panamanians, nothing justifies the death of a civilian,” said one of the commissioners tasked with uncovering the truth behind the invasion. Panamanians marked the 27th anniversary Dec. 20, 2016 of the 1989 U.S. invasion of the Central American country as the exact number of victims remains unknown more than a quarter of a century after the events.

One of the biggest protests of 2016 is still underway at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, where Water Protectors and their allies are fighting Energy Transfer Partners’ plans to drill beneath contested Treaty land to finish the Dakota Access Pipeline. EFF has been tracking the effects of its surveillance technologies on water protectors’ communications and movement.

Keanga-Yamahtta Taylor has written the most important book of 2016. Published by Haymarket, From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation has struck a chord nationwide, garnering major awards but more importantly sparking necessary debates. George Ciccariello-Maher interviews her for ROAR Magazine.

The BBC show seems to have difficulty fitting female characters into its universe. But it isn’t Arthur Conan Doyle’s fault.

A must-see film about using math to overcome adversity and send humans into orbit

After the election, many on the Black Left are once again grappling with the “race vs. class” debate.

But once you become active in something, something happens to you. You get excited and suddenly you realize you count. -- Studs Terkel

More than 200 employees of Republic Windows and Doors staged a six-day sit-in December 2008 when the factory was abruptly closed, resulting in a settlement. The occupation received international attention and became a symbol of workers’ rights amid the economic recession.

The notorious southern bigot George C. Wallace came hunting for votes and found a ready-made audience among blue-collar workers.