“To be radical is to grasp the root of the matter. But, for man, the root is man himself.” —Karl Marx In 2014, I managed a seemingly crazy move, against all odds, and with literally no chance of success: I ran for governor in the most populous, costliest, and economically divided state in the country, California. I decided to do this at a time when every political party and movement in the U.S. was steeped in crisis. When society was rent with irreparable economic and political ruptures, including a massive mortgage and financial calamity that began in 2008. When archaic
By Willie Baptist, Charon Hribar, and John Wessel-McCoy Part one in a six-part series published by The Journal of the University of the Poor Thinking about the question of mental terrain involves looking at what is already in the hearts and minds of people. Specifically, we are considering the hearts and minds of the (U.S.) American people admitting that 300+ million human beings are not monolithic. Nevertheless, in terms of social movements throughout history, problems are resolved first in people’s thinking, and then in their actions. For example, with slavery people first needed to end mental slavery in order to
Before Covid-19, there was another health crisis grabbing headlines in our country. An estimated 128 people in this country die each day from an overdose of opioids, a class of drugs that includes legal prescription medications like oxycodone and illegal substances like heroin. Prescription opioids gained popularity in the 1990s when drug companies manufactured new medications such as OxyContin and marketed them as having a low-risk for addiction. Many users of prescription opioids go on to abuse them, then turn to heroin and the much more potent and fatal fentanyl. While opioid prescriptions have fallen in recent years, deaths from heroin and synthetic opioid overdoses continue to rise. Every demographic group has been touched by the opioid crisis, although low-income whites are the most likely to be prescribed opioids and die from overdoses.
For the past two months, leaders from the Kairos Center’s Reading the Bible with the Poor Cohort have been convening a weekly online gathering called the Freedom Church of the Poor. This formation brings together leaders from different frontline battles like the fight for living wages, immigrant rights, healthcare, and housing. We are Christian, Jewish and non-religious; leaders with the Poor People’s Campaign, scholars and clergy; and we come from every region of the country. By taking the name of Freedom Church of the Poor we join a much longer history and tradition of resistance to ideological and religious forms of control and domination.
A poem by Amy Miller Dear friends, political intimates, beloved chosen family. We are. Physically distant. Struggling. Together attempting smart, fresh, grounded, moment-seizing – getting shit done in new and unsettling ways. And we may also struggle on our intimate fronts and battle with our own minds, hearts, bodies. And/or. With those with whom we find ourselves. Ok, I can own it. I am struggling. I forget. Do I watch pandemic news today? Or hide away? Do I work, walk, browse boys online with my queer self, or make lunch for my kid? Is it time for one more phone
A poem by Huggy Bear The rich just keep getting richer and the poor just keep getting poorer.Trust me that’s more than just a clicheWhether it be food, clothing, shelter, justice system or healthcareYour lot in life depends on what you can afford to payLet’s not even mention the trials and tribulations of beingA person of color, woman, immigrant, transgender or gayThey’re subjugating the people and destroying the planet for their profitsBut that’s always been the Capitalist way There was never any money in your salvation and your liberationAll the profits have always been in our oppression.They’ve been trying to school
Por Luis J. Rodriguez ¿Cuales son las historias, ideas, y formas organizativas necesarias en estos tiempos políticos y caóticos en que vivimos? Hay miles de ideas regadas por todas partes, especialmente por la internet, que pueden ser o no ser basadas en la realidad, o incluso en los hechos; ideas que nacen en instancias que suelen ser de las más reaccionarias a las más visionarias. ¿Cuáles de estas ideas toman fuerza con los pueblos más explotados y oprimidos de este país– y del mundo– mientras que se movilizan para romper las cadenas que aprisionan el trabajo, la creatividad, las mentes,
By Nic Laccetti It is commonly believed that there has been a contemporary revival of interest in occult and alternative religious ideas, especially among young people, over the last few decades. Apart from the handringing think pieces on this trend that tend to pop up monthly in the mainstream media (“What does it mean that millennials read their horoscopes??”), the statistics seem to bear this out. Interest in spirituality is booming, but adherence to traditional religions is declining, especially among millennials. According to Gallup, about 1 in 5 adults (21%) don’t have a formal religious identity; this number is even
By Brad Stevens
As a contribution to our ability to study the rapidly-developing economic, social, and political dimensions of this crisis, we're gathering the best analysis we can find from around the web to make available to our network.
We are not of those who shrink back. Take a big, deep breath. Let your mind be aware and let your heart be filled -- with your own power, our collective power, and the mysterious power of God. We Rise Together. For such a time as this we have been called.
