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The concept we will be working with here is that of “The Other America” – a legacy that William L. Patterson encouraged Anne Braden to claim, and thereby change her life. The main piece of study for this section is David Dean’s presentation on the history of multiracial struggle in the US, however we have included a few other resources (which you may look at later if you don’t have time for them now) that focus on strategic elements of this historical struggle with the intention of turning towards our ancestors in struggle as not simply inspiration, but as teachers, too. We are specifically interested in highlighting the history and power of populism, labor organizing and radical political parties as crucial ingredients in any large scale, effective strategy for building the collective power necessary for self determination and the creation of a healthy, equitable society.

 

As you listen to David’s talk and look at other resources here, we invite you to consider what it might mean to you to claim a legacy of resistance — to choose these ancestors (from all walks of life) as your own, as you might choose a spiritual path or tradition that may or may not be from your specific, biological ancestry. When we step into the struggle, all of these ancestors are ours.

 

• Thomas Frank on the history of populism / Bad Faith Podcast (10 min listen) - Please begin listening at about 8 minutes into the interview, and listen for at least 10 minutes (until you hear Frank quote Mary Elizabeth Lease saying, “Raise less corn and more hell!”). You may also be interested in this interview from New York Magazine, which goes into a little more depth around anti-populism.

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• Richard Wolff on the New Deal Coalition: See this video (6 min) and this tweet.

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• How McCarthyism and the Red Scare Hurt the Black Freedom Struggle – Paul Heideman (Read intro and section one titled “Civil Rights Unionism,” 7 min read)

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