Fighting to Make the American Dream Real for Everyone / Economic Justice and Labor Educator
This article was originally published for The Retiree Advocate at psara.org in August 2015.
Many of you might assume the confederate flag has been flying over the South Carolina capitol since the end of Reconstruction in the 1870’s. Here is the real story and its broader context. Continue reading “Let’s Stop the Lying about the Confederate Battle Flag in South Carolina”
This article was originally published for The Retiree Advocate at psara.org in November 2014.
For years, I have been arguing that our state’s progressive movements need to create a permanent alliance to move forward decisively. Equally important is learning from movements in other states. Our consistent failures on tax reform make this point. Continue reading “I Found $3.5 Billion for the People: We Need a Permanent Alliance to Get It”
This article was originally published for The Retiree Advocate at psara.org in September 2017.
In September, my wife, Diane, and I traveled to North Carolina to meet with leaders of the “Moral Monday Movement.” We met with Rev. Curtis Gatewood of the state’s NAACP, James Andrew, President of the state AFL-CIO, and Rev. George Reed and Aleta Payne, two top leaders of the North Carolina Council of Churches. We wanted to learn about their broad movement that brought upwards of 80,000 to the steps of their state Capitol in February, the largest progressive rally in the South since 1965. They were demanding economic justice; labor rights; education equality; health care for all; environmental justice; equal protection under the law without regard to race, creed, class, gender, sexual orientation or immigration status; expansion of voting rights; and more. Why the mass organizing? Continue reading “North Carolina’s Forward Together Moral Monday Movement – “We Are a Movement, Not a Moment””
This article was originally published for The Retiree Advocate at psara.org on September 2017.
In May and June, PSARA’s Education Committee sponsored two labor/community workshops that brought together leaders from 35 labor and community-based organizations. We discussed our common ground of discontent and our shared values and vision for a better future. We also began to reflect on how our many organizations and movements might work together in more long-term strategic ways and present our shared vision and values more effectively in our many diverse communities. Continue reading “Building the Road to a Better Future”
This article was originally published for The Retiree Advocate at psara.org in September 2017.
On May 17 and June 21, PSARA held two 2½ hour workshops in Seattle which brought together leaders from 30+ labor and community-based organizations. The organizations represented labor; faith; communities of color; immigrant rights; youth; environmentalists; seniors; women; and gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements. Continue reading “Building a Better Future for All”
This article was originally published for The Retiree Advocate at psara.org in August 2014.
Growing up in a very conservative religious household in the 1960s, I “learned” that homosexuals were sinning against God and male homosexuals were child molesters. I was truly ignorant. Today I am an advocate for equal rights for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters. Continue reading “Learning the Power of Our Personal Stories from Our LGBT Brothers and Sisters”
I recently spent 10 days in Cuba as part of a delegation led by Witness for Peace (WFP), a politically independent, nationwide grassroots organization of people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience. Its mission is to support peace, justice and sustainable economies by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices that contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean. Continue reading “My Trip to Cuba”
“I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our land.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1816. Continue reading “What Kind of Country Do You Want to Live In?”
As a working class kid in the 1960’s, the rules of life seemed simple. For my parents, work hard, play by the rules, pay your taxes, share fairly in the wealth you create at work and have a secure retirement. For me, they were study hard, play by the rules, get an affordable college education, and reach for dreams beyond those of my parents. Continue reading “Stop the Big Rip-off and Rebuild the American Dream”
In the past two years, I have had the honor and opportunity to talk with thousands of people who are deeply concerned about the future for their families, their communities and our world. Continue reading “No More Lazy People: Now What?”