Politics & Labor
The Crowd
“Read my lips…Obama won’t kill Grandma.” The slogan is printed over the image “Whistler’s Mother,” and the button-seller tells the small student crowd around her that this one was very popular during the President’s push for health care reform. There are salesmen like her all along the 59th street Midway, men and women vending... »
The Whittier Sit-in
At 9am on October 25, as the bell of Pilsen’s Whittier Dual Language Elementary School rings for the start of classes, a group of about a dozen mothers gather at the entrance to the school’s field house, where, for 40 days to the minute, they have held a sit-in to save the building from... »
The Hip-hop Populist
In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between politics and show business—both celebrities and senators must endure a loss of privacy, hair and make up crews, and appearances on Oprah. At the first political rally for Che Smith, known to the hip-hop community as Rhymefest, it seemed to be... »
Carrying the Voice
Outside Cristo Rey Jesuit High School last Saturday, the night air was warm and quiet, barbecue wafting from porches in this residential corner of Pilsen. The Cristo Rey cafeteria, however, was awash with color and light. Brightness spilled onto the sidewalk around the building and a quick drumbeat punctuated the silence. Inside, members and... »
Working Wonders: The Midwest Workers Association aids the needy and confronts inequality
Last Saturday found Virginia Miller, operations manager of the Midwest Workers Association (MWA), standing outside the door of a low-rise housing complex in Bronzeville accompanied by two college undergraduate members-in-training. A young woman, still in pajamas, comes to the door. After introducing herself and the two undergraduates, Miller begins to talk about the MWA:... »
The Candidate: Reform-minded alderman Toni Preckwinkle takes aim at the Cook County Board Presidency
The South Side is getting ambitious. A Kenwood resident sits in the Oval Office, a South Shore native daughter by his side. Education Secretary Arne Duncan was born and raised in Hyde Park, and Chief Advisor David Axelrod traces roots back to the University of Chicago. But even after the mass exodus of Chicago... »
The Progressive: For over forty years, Heather Booth has worked to build a small-d democracy
University of Chicago alum and progressive activist Heather Booth has taken on what she calls a “David and Goliath” fight for financial reform. She recently became executive director of Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), a coalition of national and state organizations that have united to improve the regulations of the financial sector. Financial reform... »
Whole Lotta Lotta
Maoist writer Raymond Lotta’s lecture at the University of Chicago last Tuesday promised to hold potential for two possible kinds of entertainment: enjoyment of a genuinely thoughtful discussion on the merits of a Communist revolution in America, and a more malicious pleasure taken from watching the reaction of the libertarian members of the audience.... »
