The Real News Podcast Kim Kelly: Workers make history, and so can you
Jun 10, 2022
01:16:36
The world is in a bleak state right now, and every day it feels a little more certain that the elite power brokers who control our society are not going to do anything to make things better. But giving up on the possibility of a better world and giving in to hopelessness and despair is not an option; if we’re going to get out of this mess, we have to fight.
In her new acclaimed book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, journalist and organizer Kim Kelly writes about working people who faced similarly impossible odds throughout US history but refused to accept the status quo and fought to change their circumstances. From freed Black washerwomen in the Reconstruction-era South to Jewish immigrant garment workers in early 20th-century New York, to incarcerated workers, sex workers, and disabled workers fighting to have their rights and humanity recognized, Fight Like Hell reminds readers today that working people’s struggle for justice, equality, and dignity is just that—a struggle. In this special discussion, hosted by Red Emma’s, a worker cooperative bookstore, cafe, and community events space in Baltimore, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Kelly about writing the history of that struggle and about the people who are carrying that struggle forward today.
Kim Kelly is a freelance journalist and organizer based in Philadelphia. Her work on labor, class, politics, and culture has appeared in a wide range of outlets, including Teen Vogue, The New Republic, The Washington Post, The Baffler, Esquire, and The Real News Network. She is the author of the acclaimed book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor.
The recording of this talk was produced in partnership with Red Emma’s in Baltimore, a worker-owned restaurant, bookstore, and social center, co-founded by our Executive Director John Duda.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/kim-kelly-workers-make-history-and-so-can-you
Pre-Production/Studio: Phil Glaser
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino
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In her new acclaimed book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, journalist and organizer Kim Kelly writes about working people who faced similarly impossible odds throughout US history but refused to accept the status quo and fought to change their circumstances. From freed Black washerwomen in the Reconstruction-era South to Jewish immigrant garment workers in early 20th-century New York, to incarcerated workers, sex workers, and disabled workers fighting to have their rights and humanity recognized, Fight Like Hell reminds readers today that working people’s struggle for justice, equality, and dignity is just that—a struggle. In this special discussion, hosted by Red Emma’s, a worker cooperative bookstore, cafe, and community events space in Baltimore, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Kelly about writing the history of that struggle and about the people who are carrying that struggle forward today.
Kim Kelly is a freelance journalist and organizer based in Philadelphia. Her work on labor, class, politics, and culture has appeared in a wide range of outlets, including Teen Vogue, The New Republic, The Washington Post, The Baffler, Esquire, and The Real News Network. She is the author of the acclaimed book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor.
The recording of this talk was produced in partnership with Red Emma’s in Baltimore, a worker-owned restaurant, bookstore, and social center, co-founded by our Executive Director John Duda.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/kim-kelly-workers-make-history-and-so-can-you
Pre-Production/Studio: Phil Glaser
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino
Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:
Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod
Sign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/newsletter-pod
Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.
Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.
Follow us on:
Bluesky: @therealnews.com
Facebook: The Real News Network
Twitter: @TheRealNews
YouTube: @therealnews
Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork
Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!