Portside

Dear Portside Labor reader,  

We as a nation have been tested by four years of frontal assault on our democratic institutions and rights and devastating attacks on our economic well-being. This has been a gangster presidency without precedent, and its deadly consequences continue to mount. 

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.  

We at Portside are convinced that we cannot go back. We must shape a vision to achieve a society beyond capitalism, one based on social and economic justice, racial and gender equality. We must advance toward a truly multiracial, inclusive, radical democracy or we will have no democracy at all.

We work to sustain our souls in these trying times; to keep us all safe in the midst of a pandemic; and to help knit together the movement that will secure our future. Every day we search the Internet for useful and truthful reporting, incisive argument, uplifting humor. We side with science and reality against the forces of unreason, humanism  against cruelty and hate. We look for every action that leads us toward disarmament and away from Armageddon. Every demand for protection of the biosphere and a sustainable future. Every day, we share the best that we find with you. 

As you probably know, we moderators of Portside work on an entirely volunteer basis. We are motivated by a vision of a better future, of a just social order. The kind of vision that powers the grassroots movements demanding radical, systemic change that have swept the country this year. We're a movement project, with no ties to corporate money - or any party or organization, for that matter. It’s you and us. 

We pledge to keep doing what we've been doing. We ask you to help us by donating to keep our servers running and our website current.

We hope you keep up with our posts every day, covering news, politics, culture, labor and other material of interest to people on the left. 

We just celebrated 20 years of Portside. Twenty years! Twenty years working day after day, year after year without missing a beat. But to be honest, we are not complaining of exhaustion because we are invigorated by our work and inspired by the movements that have grown. In fact, our crew of volunteer moderators has grown. We’ve added new features to our coverage. We’ve incorporated new media technologies. We are delighted how the Portside family has been reinforced by thousands of new readers. More people who recommend or comment on material and more authors who submit their writings for consideration. Together we are dedicated to serving as your eyes and ears in the digital universe. Keep sending your input to either portside@portside.org or reader comments.) 

And please make a contribution to keep this project going. We promise to make every donation go a long way toward the future we seek together. We don’t ask our readers for financial support often. To be a part of this and to keep this project going strong, this is the time to support Portside. 

Yours in struggle,  

The entire Portside crew 

Mark Allen, Judy Atkins, Mark Brody, Peter N. Carroll, Barry Cohen, David Cohen, Ira Cohen, Jeannette Ferrary, Marti Garza, Greg Heires, Michael Hirsch, Geoffrey Jacques, Will Jones, Maureen LaMar, Stephanie Luce, Ray Markey, Leanna Noble, John P. Pittman, Natalie Reuss, Nan Rubin, Meredith Schafer, Jay Schaffner, Kurt Stand, Ethan Young  

Checks should be made payable to PORTSIDE and sent to:

Portside
355 Eighth Avenue #1J
New York, NY 10001-4839