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Portside aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it.

Forced Migration and Detention Are the Real Immigration Crisis

David Bacon Convergence
While Republicans cry “invasion” and Democrats placate them with hard-line border policy, immigrants languish in prisons or die in dangerous passage. A rational approach to immigration must both address the causes of displacement and protect those w

This Week in People’s History, Feb 13–19

Portside
Parliament asserts its power over the British monarchy in 1689 The Original Bill of Rights (in 1689), OSHA Comes of Age (1974), Shake, Rattle, and Roll (1954), A Win for Black Studies in Dixie (1969), FBI Frame-Up Falls Apart (1999), Compensation for Black Lung (1969), A Rare Espionage Act Acquittal (1919)

The Perfectionist Tradition

William P. Jones Dissent Magazine
The African American perfectionists offered “faith” instead of “hope”—emphasizing the struggle to realize a vision of justice rather than passive assurance that it would prevail.

How a Man Helped Close a Loophole in Illinois’ Slavery Law

Sydney Stallworth, Brad Wynn ksdk.com
"Pete" was one of many slaves considered property of the Jarrot family in Cahokia Heights. He sued for his freedom, and the lawsuit closed Illinois' slavery loophole. Pete's lawyer, Lyman Trumbull, went on to shape the 13th Amendment.
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