Haymarket Books Live

A conversation with leading Atlanta-based organizers about the deep, intersectional, and transformative struggle for Black liberation. ---------------------------------------------------- Much of the ‘back of the house' organizing that has made the current rebellion and political moment possible goes unseen. So often images of protestors in the streets capture our collective attention and imagination. People often think that protests and marches define organizing. However, so much of what Black organizers do involves more mundane and less sexy work like: mutual aid, transformative justice, fundraising for bail, working to fight evictions, healing and carework. This work helps lay the groundwork for getting people to imagine the abolition of policing and other violent systems in order to build support networks (and worlds) that don’t rely on the logics of anti-Blackness. This behind the scenes work is also gendered, racialized, and classed labor that many Black queer, trans, non-binary, and disabled femmes perform. Why is this organizing work important? How is it beautiful/artful? How do we elevate/celebrate it? How do we invite people into this beautiful work? Speakers: Mary Hooks is the co-director of Southerners on New Ground (SONG). SONG is a political home for LGBTQ liberation across all lines of race, class, abilities, age, culture, gender, and sexuality in the South. We build, sustain, and connect a southern regional base of LGBTQ people in order to transform the region through strategic projects and campaigns developed in response to the current conditions in our communities. SONG builds this movement through leadership development, coalition and alliance building, intersectional analysis, and organizing. Mary’s commitment to Black liberation, which encompasses the liberation of LGBTQ folks, is rooted in her experiences growing up under the impacts of the War on Drugs. Her people are migrants of the Great Migration, factory workers, church folks, Black women, hustlers and addicts, dykes, studs, femmes, queens and all people fighting for the liberation of oppressed people. Monica Simpson is the Executive Director of SisterSong, the National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. She uses an interdisciplinary approach to activism by calling her artistic and healing practices into the implementation of SisterSong’s mission. Based in the historic West End in Atlanta, GA and founded in 1997, SisterSong amplifies and strengthens the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color and ensures reproductive justice through securing human rights. SisterSong’s headquarters is known as the “MotherHouse” and is a national organizing center for feminists of color. Toni-Michelle Williams is a community organizer and advocate for black trans justice and liberation. She serves as the Leadership Development and Programs Coordinator for the Solutions NOT Punishment Coalition (SNaP Co) in Atlanta, GA. With SnaP Co she successfully launched the Trans Leadership Connection internship program (TLC) in 2015. In 2016, the program released “The Most Dangerous Thing Out Here is the Police,” a report on trans people’s experiences with Atlanta Police Department. Tiffany Lethabo King is an associate professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Georgia State University. She is the author of The Black Shoals: Offshore Formations of Black and Native Studies (Duke University Press, 2019) and a co-editor of the book Otherwise Worlds: Against Settler Colonialism and Anti-Black Racism (Duke University Press, 2020). ---------------------------------------------------- Co-sponsored by Haymarket Books: https://www.haymarketbooks.org Sister Song: https://www.sistersong.net/ Southerns on New Ground: https://southernersonnewground.org Watch the live event recording: Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

A conversation between Cliff Conner and Sarah Lazare about the history of scientific corruption and abuse and prospects for change today. ———————————————— The atomic bombs that ended World War II heralded the rise of the United States to first place in the realm of science. Expectations of what American science and technology could accomplish in an era of peace were virtually unlimited. Disease would be conquered and hunger eradicated. New industries and inventions would create global prosperity, and the rockets that had carried German bombs would instead extend human exploration to the moon and beyond. Seventy-five years later, we look back and wonder: What happened to the dream? That’s the question Cliff Conner explores in his new book, The Tragedy of American Science. The book’s subtitle, From Truman to Trump, defines the timeline of this history of scientific corruption and abuse—from the nuclear bombs that obliterated two Japanese cities, through the Cold War and the never-ending “War on Terror,” to the existential threat posed by global warming and the pandemic today. It’s not a happy story, but it’s one that must be confronted if the tragedy is to be overcome. Clifford D. Conner is a historian of science at the School of Professional Studies, CUNY Graduate Center. He is the author of A People’s History of Science (Bold Type Books, 2005) and biographies of three revolutionaries: Jean Paul Marat, Arthur O’Connor, and Colonel Despard. You can get a copy of his latest book with Haymarket, The Tragedy of American Science, today. Sarah Lazare is web editor and reporter for In These Times. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Nation, The Intercept, and Jacobin. A former staff writer for AlterNet and Common Dreams, Sarah co-edited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War. Sarah got her start in journalism reporting for the Independent Media Center movement. ———————————————— Order a copy of The Tragedy of American Science: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1467-the-tragedy-of-american-science Order a copy of A People's History of Science: https://bookshop.org/a/1039/9781560257486 Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/VFHRzkSjocc Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

A conversation between labor and community activists about centering the fight against racism in the fight for public health care. ------------------------------------------------------------------ COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the intersection of racism and healthcare in this country. Chronic racist inequity has produced terrifying outcomes in terms of the disproportionate effect the virus is having on African-Americans and Latinx people. The protest movement that erupted after the murder of George Floyd sharpened a national conversation about racism in this country. Many have demanded that institutions which hurt people be defunded, and that this money be redirected towards healing communities. Join a conversation of labor and community activists who will be discussing work they and their organizations are doing as it relates to this topic. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Stacy Davis Gates is the Vice President of the CTU and the Executive Vice President of the IFT. This past fall, she helped to lead a 15-day strike and to negotiate an historic contract that provides for smaller class sizes, ensures a nurse and social worker in every Chicago public school, secures sanctuary protections for immigrant families, and supports students and families experiencing homelessness. Jeffrey Howard, VP of SEIU 73, is a third-generation union member with 29 years of experience, serving at all levels of leadership in the union movement. He is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force. In his labor career he has served in many different capacities from shop steward to secretary-treasurer. Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH has been a voice for social justice and health as a basic human right for over 50 years. In the Cook County Health System she previously served as Chief Medical Officer for primary care, and is speaking as a member of Physicians for a National Health Program. Damon Williams is a movement builder, organizer, educator and media maker. Damon is the co-founder of The #LetUsBreathe Collective and AirGo Media, and is speaking as a member of the Black Abolitionist Network. Elaine Mister will be moderating the event. She is a nurse case manager at UCMC, and was a leader in organizing her fellow nurses to become members of NNU. Presented by: Black Abolitionist Network, Chicago Teachers Union, National Nurses United, Physicians for a National Health Program Illinois and SEIU 73. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/hf3IZfSG0LI Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

Join us for a virtual teach-in on the resurgent revolutionary wave sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. ———————————————————— The Syrian regime has consolidated its power in the past few years with the assistance of its allies, Russia and Iran. However, the conditions that led to the uprisings are all still present, especially dictatorship and social justice. These conditions have actually only gotten worse. The recent anti-regime demonstrations provoked by the socio-economic crisis in the Sweida and Daraa provinces under regime control indicate how intolerable the situation has become.The Assad regime and other regimes in the region believe that they can maintain their despotic rules by the continuous use of massive violence against their populations. This is doomed to fail, and new explosions of popular protest will inevitably happen, just like those of 2019 in Sudan, Algeria, Iraq and Lebanon, which have been described as a “Second Arab Spring”. The panel participants will analyze the current situation in Syria and Sudan, and the overall context of the uprisings as well as the regional prospects. ———————————————————— Sara Abbas is a Sudanese Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the Freie Unversität Berlin. Her doctoral research focuses on the discourses and practices of women members of the Islamist Movement and al- Bashir's formerly ruling party in Sudan. Most recently, she has been researching Sudan's resistance committees which emerged out of the 2018 revolution. She is a member of SudanUprising Germany and the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists. Gilbert Achcar is a Lebanese academic, writer, and socialist. He is Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at SOAS, University of London. He has written extensively on politics and development economics, as well as social change and social theory. His publications include The Clash of Barbarisms: September 11 and the Making of the New World Disorder (2002), published in 15 languages; Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy (2008), with Noam Chomsky; the critically acclaimed The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli-War of Narratives (2010); The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising (2013); and Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab Uprisings (2016). Joseph Daher is a Swiss-Syrian socialist activist, academic, and founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever. He is part of the Wartime and Post-Conflict in Syria project, at the European University Institute, Florence (Italy) and works at the University of Lausanne. He is the author of "Hezbollah: Political Economy of the Party of God" (2016, Pluto Press) and "Syria after the Uprisings, the Political Economy of State Resilience" (Pluto Press and Haymarket 2019). He is also a member of the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists. ———————————————————— Order a copy of Joseph Daher's book, Syria After the Uprisings here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1292-syria-after-the-uprisings Order a copy of Gilbert Achcar's book, Morbid Symptoms here: https://bookshop.org/a/1039/9781503600317 Order a copy of Burning Country: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745337821/burning-country/ For further reading on this topic, check out Haymarket Books' list of books for resisting empire: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/99-haymarket-books-for-resisting-empire ———————————————————— Co-sponsored by Haymarket Books: https://www.haymarketbooks.org Pluto Press: https://www.plutobooks.com Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/GEMoCj0PnfQ Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

The BreakBeat Poets Live! is a virtual, multi-generational showcase of some of the illest writers on the planet rock. Each chapter features writers and performers who are part of the Haymarket Books family. Chapter 4 features Destiny Birdsong, Mahogany L. Browne, Camonghne Felix, Jacob Saenz, and Nate Marshall. Watch the live event recording: Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

Join Haymarket Books and Mondoweiss for a conversation on the end of Zionism with Ali Abunimah, Philip Weiss and Nada Elia. ------------------------------------------------------ Zionism — the assertion that Jews have a right to violently establish and maintain an ethno-religious state in the homeland and at the expense of the Palestinian people — was, at least in the United States, a mainstream belief with support across the political spectrum. In recent years, that consensus has crumbled. Palestinians have led the global BDS movement that highlights how Zionism violates the rights of all Palestinians, and younger generations of Americans, including Jews, are turning away from an ideology that is more and more openly aligned with the most reactionary, right-wing and white supremacist forces. Similar changes are happening all over the world. Though Zionism is on the retreat ideologically, Israel retains immense power and impunity. What will it take to change this apparent stalemate, and shift the balance towards liberation for Palestinians? ------------------------------------------------------ Ali Abunimah is executive director of the widely acclaimed publication The Electronic Intifada, an independent nonprofit publication focusing on Palestine. He has written hundreds of articles and spoken on the topic all over the world. He is the author of ​One Country, A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse​ (2007) and ​The Battle for Justice in Palestine​ (2014). Philip Weiss is a writer who had a long career in mainstream journalism before starting a blog on the Middle East that is now Mondoweiss. Nada Elia is a long time activist, a teacher, writer, political commentator, and frequent contributor to Mondoweiss. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/Ak2xud6nCjc Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

Join us for a conversation with education activists about the current struggles in public education for safe and equitable schools for all. Sponsored by: Baltimore Teachers Union, Boston Teachers Union, Chicago Teachers Union, Journey for Justice, Little Rock Education Association, Massachusetts Teachers Association, National Educators United, and United Teachers Los Angeles. ————————————————— A conversation with some of most dynamic teacher union leaders, community and student organizers in the country, will invite dialogue on pressing issues impacting public education in this unprecedented moment. They will discuss the importance of a burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement to defund police and the need to replace them with counselors, social workers, nurses and restorative practices in our schools. Intimately connected to this question is how we can ensure that our students and communities are provided with the schools they deserve if and when they reopen in the Fall. ————————————————— Speakers: Priyana Cabraal is a Leaders Igniting Transformation fellow and an incoming junior at Milwaukee School of Languages in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She recently led the fight to get MPD out of MPS and is determined to do more for other Black and Brown youth in her city. She is passionate about creating a significant shift in leadership that results in the dismantling of all systematic discrepancies. She hopes to become a defense attorney after high school to defend those unlawfully prosecuted due to factors such as race, sex, economic status, and immigration status. Eventually, Priyana hopes to run for Congress and advocate for her community. Cabral is of Black and Asian heritage and enjoys visiting her family in Sri Lanka every year. Moira Casados Cassidy is a teacher and activist in Denver, Colorado. She has worked to advance social justice and liberation in Denver schools as a member of the Caucus of Today’s Teachers. Cecily Myart-Cruz is a teacher, activist and the United Teachers Los Angeles President. The first woman of color in the union’s 50-year history – having previously served as NEA Vice President for six years. Cecily has taught for 26 years, at both elementary and middle school levels, most recently at Angeles Mesa Elementary. As a UTLA Area leader, she has worked with schools, parents, students and the community to oust 23 “bully principals”. Cecily has collaborated with school communities in initiating the year-long boycott of district periodic assessments in protest of excessive testing of our students. She is no stranger in taking direct action, whether it is fighting against co-locations, demanding Ethnic Studies for our students, declaring the end the criminalization of youth, local and statewide lobbying efforts and much more. Jonathan Stith is a founding member and National Coordinator for the Alliance for Educational Justice, a national network of intergenerational and youth-led organizations working to end the school-to-prison pipeline. He has 20 years of experience working with youth and community organizations to address social inequities. As the former Executive Director of the Youth Education Alliance (YEA), he was a critical leader in the School Modernization Campaign that won 3.2 billion dollars for school renovation and repair in the District. He was also a steering committee member of the Justice for DC Youth Coalition that successfully organized youth and their families to win critical juvenile justice reforms in the District. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/KJilE6uOFEw Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

Join us for a virtual teach in on police, surveillance, and technology with Ruha Benjamin and Dorothy Roberts ---------------------------------------------------- With calls for “defunding police” on the rise, invisible, tech-mediated surveillance continues to penetrate every area of our lives – workplaces, schools, hospitals, and of course policing itself. How does this relate to a longer history of surveilling Black life and how are people mobilizing against this New Jim Code? From everyday apps to complex algorithms, technology has the potential to hide, speed, and deepen discrimination, while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to racist practices of a previous era. In this conversation, Dorothy Roberts and Ruha Benjamin explore a range of discriminatory designs that encode inequity: by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies, by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions, or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. They take us into the world of biased bots, altruistic algorithms, and their many entanglements, and provide conceptual tools to resist the New Jim Code with historically and sociologically-informed skepticism. In doing so, they challenge us to question not only the technologies we are sold, but also the ones we manufacture ourselves. ---------------------------------------------------- Ruha Benjamin is Associate Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, founder of the Just Data Lab, and author of People’s Science: Bodies and Rights on the Stem Cell Frontier (2013) and Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (2019) among other publications. Her work investigates the social dimensions of science, medicine, and technology with a focus on the relationship between innovation and inequity, health and justice, knowledge and power. Professor Benjamin is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including from the American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, Institute for Advanced Study, and the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton. For more info visit www.ruhabenjamin.com Dorothy Roberts, an acclaimed scholar of race, gender and the law, joined the University of Pennsylvania as its 14th Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with joint appointments in the Departments of Africana Studies and Sociology and the Law School where she holds the inaugural Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander chair. She is also founding director of the Penn Program on Race, Science & Society in the Center for Africana Studies. Her path breaking work in law and public policy focuses on urgent social justice issues in policing, family regulation, science, medicine, and biopolitics. Her major books include Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century; Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare, and Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty. ---------------------------------------------------- Get a copy of Ruha Benjamin's book Race After Technology: https://bookshop.org/a/1039/9781509526406 Order Dorothy Roberts' book Fatal Invention: https://bookshop.org/a/1039/9781595588340 Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/tf0nEQTLw04 Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

Join Jesse Hagopian, Amelia Blair-Smith, and Khury Petersen-Smith for a discussion of this summer’s uprising and how we can envision and build a revolutionary future. This event is part of the Socialism 2020 Virtual conference. Register for the conference at www.socialismconference.org. The racist police murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others have catalyzed a massive nationwide rebellion like nothing experienced in many of our lifetimes. The rebellions of this summer have achieved immediate wins and also faced harsh repression. We know these upsurges are not going away, though, because the causes of oppression and police violence have not gone away. This panel will discuss how we build on the mass anger and mobilizations of the present rebellion to carry out a full-scale, revolutionary transformation of our society. Socialism 2020 is sponsored by Haymarket Books, Jacobin, and the Democratic Socialists of America. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/AWm3KS3tLd8 Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

Join Bill Fletcher Jr., Dina Gilio-Whitaker, and Symone Baptiste to discuss reparations for slavery and settler colonialism, a part of the Socialism 2020 Virtual conference. Register for the conference at www.socialismconference.org. The past few years has seen passionate political debate over what the United States government owes to the descendants of slaves as well as demands from Indigenous communities for rights to land that has been and continue to be taken from them by American settler colonialism. This discussion centers the voices of those most impacted by racism and settler colonialism in the conversation about what is owed and how we can repair the harm that has been done. Socialism 2020 is sponsored by Haymarket Books, Jacobin, and the Democratic Socialists of America. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/uwuvF7c2PrA Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks