Baltimore:Race, Class and Uprisings

Bill Fletcher Jr teleSUR
A broad united front for justice and power, in addition to protesting atrocities, is guided by a sense of hope and a vision of a new day. It is not enough for us on the Left to comment favorably on the right of oppressed to rebel, to validate the rage that took a very destructive form. Rather, we must support those that engaged in efforts to redirect the rage to preserve their communities as part of a larger movement for justice for Freddie Gray.

Dropkick Murphys -- Worker's Song

Music and lyrics: "We're the first ones to starve, We're the first ones to die, We're the first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky"

Dolly Parton -- 9 to 5

Dolly Parton's super lyrics and voice, with quick clips of Dolly, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda from the movie 9 to 5. All sentiments still relevant.

Rihanna -- American Oxygen

What breathes life into the American Dream, what's creating the 'New America,' this song boldly claims in word and image, is the country's diverse people and their struggles. 

Friday Nite Videos -- May 1, 2015 (Five for May Day)

Portside
Whose country is this anyhow? Whose world is it going to be? Those are questions that May Day, the international workers' holiday, has always asked. Listen to these five songs of labor and struggle, from brand new to nearly a century old, and take pleasure and inspiration from how they point to answers.

A Love Story, A War Story and A Story About Brutal Work

Olivia Laing New Statesman
The Patriot Act is a nightmare for immigrants without papers already living precarious lives of dead-end jobs, zero-hour contracts, squats, and physical danger. When a young Asian woman, alone in the U.S., meets an ex-serviceman, himself traumatized by three tours in Iraq and living in a basement flat , the two bond in a tough but brilliant first novel absent stock characters or cartoon emotionality but with a profound and intimate knowledge of life on the margins.

The “Longue durée” of the Québec Spring

Pierre Beaudet Socialist Project
A “coalition of coalitions” -- comprising unions, students, and several other sectors, even including elected municipal officials -- has coordinated movements of protest over the past years and is leading toward a great day of action on May Day. Beyond that several actions are planned for over the course of the summer eventually leading to an important workers’ strike next fall.