A Good Night for Chicago Socialists
Chicago has long been dominated by a powerful Democratic machine and decades of austerity and gentrification. But the city’s left won victories across the board in Tuesday’s elections.
78 Articles by: Micah Uetricht
Micah Uetricht is the editor of Jacobin. He is the author of Strike for America: Chicago Teachers Against Austerity and coauthor of Bigger than Bernie: How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism.
“I Love Chicago. I’m Gonna Fight to Stay Here.”
Jeanette Taylor is a community activist on Chicago’s South Side running for city council. In an interview, Taylor explains why she participated in a month-long hunger strike to reopen a school, how to fight inequality in the city, and her vision for a working-class Chicago.
The Beginning of the End of Capitalist Realism
Mark Fisher died two years ago this month. He helped us see the collective depression we have all lived in for decades. If only he could have seen that depression finally start to lift.
A Mighty Wind
Democrats are endorsing striking teachers. That doesn’t mean the party’s abandoning its education agenda, but it does mean that the working class is making itself harder to ignore.
Welcome Their Hatred
Democratic leaders are outraged at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s actions in Congress and are trying to reel her in. It’s a clear sign she’s antagonizing all the right forces in the party.
Completing the Feminist Revolution
In the 1960s and ‘70s, feminists began to transform society. Today, we need to finish the job.
“We Have a Right to the Resources That We Create”
Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez is a democratic socialist running for Chicago city council. In this interview, she explains how austerity forced her to leave her native Puerto Rico, her vision for building working-class power in Chicago, and how to seize our “historic opportunity” to fight for socialism.
Sixteen Shots and a Conviction
Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who shot Laquan McDonald sixteen times, has been found guilty of murder. It’s a major victory for Chicago activists and the broader movement against police brutality.
Pointing the Finger at Jeff Bezos Worked
Jeff Bezos raised Amazon’s starting wage to $15 because of pressure from workers and Bernie Sanders — showing how, even when workers and socialists are weak, we can win against the most powerful people in the world.
Learning from the New Communist Movement
Socialists today don’t have to reinvent the wheel — we can learn from the successes and failures of past American radicals, including the New Communist Movement.
Chapo Trap House, Between Hope and Nihilism
Chapo Trap House’s Matt Christman on pulling angry young men away from the alt right, consumption choices as politics, the grotesqueries of American life, and his commitment to “optimism of the will and all that shit.”
Today and Forever, Rahm Emanuel Is Garbage
By fighting him tooth and nail for seven years, Chicagoans have established that Rahm Emanuel is garbage. No matter what he does next, that stench isn’t coming off.
Infiltrating the Left
The FBI has long tried to destroy socialist organizations, but its actions aren’t limited to surveillance. In the sixties and seventies, informants were key — even at the top levels of left groups.
The Kanye/Jay-Z Approach to Bargaining
Even when they’re flush with cash, companies like UPS still attack workers’ standards. Workers have to force their bosses to back off.
“We Rise Together, Homie”
An interview with Antoine Dangerfield, whose video of an Indianapolis wildcat strike went viral this week — and led to his firing. He doesn’t regret it, though.
Jacobin’s “The Dig” Hits 100 Episodes
Every week, Jacobin Radio’s The Dig introduces you to the Left’s brightest thinkers and activists.
Freedom From the Boss
At its best, the labor movement hasn’t just fought for better wages. It’s fought to bring democracy to workplaces marked by despotism.
Carlos Rosa’s Political Capital
Recently, Chicago city councillor Carlos Rosa’s socialist politics cost him in the halls of power. He speaks to Jacobin about why he refuses to “throw a movement under the bus.”
Worked to Death
The American pension crisis helps corporations maintain a precarious, easily exploitable workforce.
Oscar Romero, Presente
Thirty-nine years ago today, Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated while giving mass. His killers have never been brought to justice.