Tidbits-May 7- Reader Comments: Voting Rights Overturned by Trump Administration and Supreme Court; Kamala in ’28?; Haymarket Monuments; Barbara Kopple’s Labor Films; Black Employment Under Trump; a Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Assata Shakur

Reader Comments: Voting Rights Overturned by Trump Administration and Supreme Court; Kamala in '28?; Haymarket Monuments; Barbara Kopple's Labor Films; Black Employment Under Trump; A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Assata Shakur;

Portside
Printer friendly  
May 7, 2026 - Reader Comments, Resources, Cartoons | Portside

 

Resources:

 

Announcements:



Dennis Goris
May 2, 2026
https://www.threads.com/@dennisgoris/
 



 

Voting Rights  --  Cartoon and Commentary by Rob Rogers

If you like this article, please sign up for Snapshot, Portside's daily summary.

(One summary e-mail a day, you can change anytime, and Portside is always free.)

 


The MAGA Supreme Court is nostalgic for a simpler time, when it was ok to discriminate against people of color.

Rob Rogers
May 5, 2026
TinyView
 



 

Re: Why the Working Class Has Given Up on the Liberal Establishment
 

Leopold's article is terrific, his analysis, painful to read, but fully justified.

The oligarchs have both parties and the workers remain abandoned.

Noel Kent,
Honolulu




 

Re: Is DNC Boosting Kamala for ’28?
 

No, no, no on Kamala. Gaza.

Elizabeth Kelly
Posted on Portside's Facebook page
 



 

Mathematically Speaking  --  Meme by Miles Prunier posted in Remixed Nancy Bushmiller

 



Miles Prunier
April 30, 2026
Remixed Nancy Bushmiller
 

 



 

Re: The Haymarket Affair in Three Monuments
 

Dear Peter Cole:

Thank you for your excellent article re Haymarket, on Portside. Particularly appreciated was your mention of Emma Goldman, Studs Terkel, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.

On May 4, 1986, the centennial of the Riot, U.S. Americans for Peace presented  the world premiere, in Berlin, of E.G.: A Musical Portrait of Emma Goldman by Leonard Lehrman & Karen Ruoff Kramer, featuring a number devoted to Haymarket and its effect on Goldman and the Left in general.

That piece has traveled the world since, with over 40 productions in 5 countries, starring Elizabeth Parcells in 1986, Helene Williams in 1987-2009, and now Caryn Hartglass, 2025-present, with me at the piano, including a performance for the National Opera Association 1992 convention in Chicago, where Helene & I were interviewed by Studs Terkel on WFMT.

Two years after that, Corliss Lamont commissioned my song cycle on Seven Love Poems by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, which Helene premiered and recorded, on Capstone and later Ravello Records. (See https://youtu.be/OWb_ZDUaGzQ .)

Other venues have included The Alchemical Theatre, Puffin Room, Puffin Cultural Forum (twice), American University, Dartmouth, Pittsburgh, Paris, Amsterdam, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Cortland, Brandeis, Boston University, Queens College (twice), WQXR, Community Church of Boston, and Theater for the New City (TNC).

Below are links to performances of "Haymarket," the ensemble number from "E.G." which asks:

    "Has the State ever asked pardon and tried to make amends
    For the travesty of so-called 'Law 'n Order' that it still defends?
    Forty years later and the country was ready
    To kill the likewise innocent Sacco and Vanzetti.
    How just is a nation which in the name of justice lies?
    Where it's a capital crime to speak and organize?
    What kind of government is this of ours 
    That kills innocent people just to show off its powers?"

Those questions resonate somehow even more strongly than ever today, don't they?

In Solidarity

Leonard J. Lehrman
https://www.leonardjlehrman.com 
https://tinyurl.com/ContinuatorPreOrder
https://leonardjlehrman.com/EG.html

 



 

Re: Barbara Kopple on Her Labor Documentary Masterpieces

(posting on Portside Culture)
 

“When Harlan County won an Academy Award, the first people I called were the people of Harlan County, and they said, “We know, we know, we won an Academy Award!” They were driving all over and screaming.”

Gotta organize a group outing for the rerealease

Miriam Bensman
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

     =====

She has played a very great role, and a thousand campus classes showed her film (mine included).

Paul Buhle
Posted on Portside's Facebook page




 

Billion Dollar Balls  --  Cartoon by Mike Stanfill (Raging Pencils)
 



Mike Stanfill
May6, 2026
Raging Pencils
 



 

A snapshot of Black employment trends under Trump 2.0  (Economic Policy Institute)
 



Black unemployment is rising and employment is falling, reflecting a deterioration in labor market conditions.

In the first quarter of 2026, the Black unemployment rate (7.6%) was 1.2 percentage points higher than in the first three months of the second Trump administration. And Black workers—particularly men—are experiencing lower employment compared with a year ago. 

It doesn’t have to be this way ?


Key takeaways:

  • Black unemployment rose and employment fell in Q1 2026, reflecting a deterioration in labor market conditions. In the first quarter of 2026, the Black unemployment rate (7.6%) was 1.2 percentage points higher than in the first three months of the second Trump administration.
  • Black men’s employment-population (EPOP) ratio decreased by 1.7 percentage points (from 60.5% to 58.8%) since the first quarter of 2025, with noncollege graduates driving this decline.
  • Black women’s EPOP ratio was the same in Q1 2026 as in Q1 2025 (56.4%), with gains among noncollege graduates offsetting losses among college graduates.

The rising Black unemployment rate and big employment losses among Black women made major news headlines in 2025. In a February 2026 analysis, I examined the nature of those losses, noting the large impact on Black women who were college graduates and public-sector workers. With so much of the Trump policy-induced 2025 labor market decline appearing to land first on Black workers who typically have relatively secure employment, the longer-term significance of those losses is of continuing interest.

Read the full report here 


Economic Policy Institute  
1225 Eye St. NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-775-8810 • epi@epi.org




 

Decent Work for All: Advancing the Rights of Domestic Workers in the EU - Virtual - May 12  (The Left in the European Parliament)


Tuesday 12th of May | European Parliament, Brussels

09:00 – 12:30h  STREAMING

This event brings together domestic workers, trade unions, researchers, and policymakers for a conversation about advancing labour rights, social justice, and the recognition of domestic work across Europe. Panels will explore the intersection of legal frameworks, lived experiences, and political advocacy, highlighting the importance of a feminist, anti-racist, and worker-led approach to shaping policy and public discourse.

We’ll dig into the challenges facing domestic workers today, from the uneven implementation of international standards like ILO Convention 189 to the structural inequalities driven by migration, racism, and gender dynamics. In response, the event will focus on practical strategies for strengthening enforcement, improving working conditions, and amplifying workers’ voices—fostering a more just and equitable framework for domestic work across Europe.

Opening Remarks

  • Catarina Martins, Member of the European Parliament – The Left.
  • Irene Montero, Member of the European Parliament – The Left.

From rights on paper to rights in practice: ILO Convention 189 and safe working conditions

Moderation and conclusion: Catarina Martins, Member of the European Parliament – The Left.

  • Grace Papa, Regional Coordinator for Europe of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF)
  • Cristina Campayo Soriano, labour law expert from the International Labour Organization (ILO)
  • Enrico Somaglia, General Secretary of EFFAT (European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions)
  • Nuno Dias, sociologist researching domestic work
  • Rafaela Pimentel, domestic worker and feminist and migrant activist at Territorio Doméstico, Comisión 8M and Sintrahocu Madrid, Spain

Domestic work, migration and structural inequalities: feminist and anti-racist perspectives

Moderation and conclusion: Isabel Serra, Member of the European Parliament – The Left.

  • Anabela Rodrigues, former MEP, author of the Manifest on Domestic Work
  • Edith Espínola, activist from SEDOAC and Regularización Ya Platform
  • Ernestine Makelele, Ligue des travailleuses domestiques CSC Bruxelles
  • Francesca Poggi, activist from Sindihogar, Spain
  • Rachel Keké, domestic workers’ activist, former MP, France

REGISTER 




 

Carry It On - A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Assata Shakur - New York City - May 30

 



The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive
New York City  10027


Saturday, May 30th

Doors Open at 3:00 PM

Program starts at 4:00 PM - 6:30

RSVP Here 


This is open to all who loved her. Please RSVP to link below if you plan on coming, so there is a sense of how many. Though rsvp does not guarantee entry. It will be first come first enter.
RSVP HERE: https://form.jotform.com/260304546094151




 

Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment Sets NYC Concert With Bette Midler, Patti Smith - June 14
 

Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment will take place on June 14 and also feature Joy Reid, Rufus Wainwright, Sasha Allen and Broadway Inspirational Voices.

By Kirsten Chuba

May 7, 2026
The Hollywood Reporter
 


 

Jane Fonda speaks onstage at a Committee for the First Amendment event on March 27 in Washington, D.C. Tasos Katopodis/  Committee for the First Amendment  //  The Hollywood Reporter


The Committee for the First Amendment, an activist collective of artists and cultural leaders founded by Jane Fonda, is hosting Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment with a starry lineup in NYC.

The event — set for June 14, which is Flag Day — will feature live performances and appearances by Fonda, Bette Midler, Joy Reid, Patti Smith, Rufus Wainwright, Sasha Allen and Broadway Inspirational Voices for a 90-minute celebration.

“Music has long been a tool to stand up to authoritarianism, and I am honored to spend the evening with these fiercely committed, talented, and brilliant people to celebrate our First Amendment rights,” Fonda said in a statement. “As we continue to watch bad faith leaders take more and more power, it is critical that we gather together, raise our voices collectively, and stand united against this administration — and have some fun while doing it.”

The event will be streamed online for free, with national partner organizations and local civic groups hosting watch parties all around the country. For those looking to attend in person, tickets start at $49 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster or via the concert website. All proceeds from the concert will go to support the work of the Committee for the First Amendment.

“Music has always been the language of resistance. When this administration comes for our freedoms, music is how we remember who we are and what we’re fighting for,” Wainwright said of the event. “Rise Up, Sing Out is what this moment demands. So let’s come together, raise our voices and remind them exactly who this country belongs to.”

The Committee for the First Amendment is a group of artists and storytellers standing together to defend free expression against government repression and industry complicity, launched in October with a statement from Fonda and more than 550 supporters from across Hollywood. The Committee draws inspiration from the original Committee for the First Amendment, when artists like Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jane’s father, Henry Fonda, stood up to government attacks during the McCarthy era.