Occasionally, in politics and social-economic struggles, there occur "moments of rupture," periods of dizzying and dramatic change when hosts of opportunities present themselves and existing arrangements of power are radically altered.
Violence has not produced justice anywhere. We must build a nonviolent movement in the 21st century that advances a multi-racial democracy that has never before existed in the United States.
We must recognize that we live on the shoulders of ancestors who have survived through crisis and devastation. We must step up in ways that will enable history to judge this moment as not only a tragic event, but as a catalyst for a global awakening.
The crisis this time is unique in an especially topsy-turvy way. In past capitalist crises, the state intervened to try and get the economy going again. This time, the is not on how to revive the economy, but how to further restrict it.
As Congress returns to Washington, the impeachment proceedings are likely to gain steam. The authors argue the left can't afford to sit this fight out, but should be a part of the broad anti-Trump front working to protect and expand democracy.
This book showcases conservative and liberal movements aimed at social advocacy and change, in an effort to draw a portrait of what makes social movements effective in contemporary society.
Anybody who is paying attention should be worried about the very real threat of climate change, but action on critical environmental issues is often set aside because of perceived immediate crisis: war breaking out on the international stage, racial injustice and inequality decimating our streets at home, threats of mass deportation, a growing healthcare crisis. With all of these vying for our attention, attending to the earth hardly seems high on the priority list.
Everything we have struggled to move forward in the United States is in peril. Our loved ones feel under siege, and those in power in Washington are advancing a dark and dangerous vision of America that we know is untrue. To change everything, we need everyone. First we resist. Then we build. Together, we rise.
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.
Stein's Green Party run doesn't offer a plan to win, or to build power. The Left is capable of so much more. If politics were a battle for the moral high ground, both Bernie Sanders and the Green Party might be in full control of the three branches of government. Sadly, it's not and they're not.
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