The War on the Poor
As we publish this issue of the University of the Poor Journal, the destructive conditions the poor across the globe are facing continue to intensify. From the U.S.-sponsored Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza to the 800 people dying every day from poverty in the U.S. to the record temperatures in India caused by climate change, our class has no choice but to organize and fight for fundamental transformation.
Cover image: “Four Evils” by Eric Garcia (2017). Part of the Justseeds Poor People’s Campaign Portfolio.
Thank you to Rachel I. for the images in this issue.
Moses H.M and West McNeill
The rise of anti-trans legislation is not an isolated attack on a marginalized group of people, but instead part of a larger ruling-class strategy to divide the working class based on lies, fearmongering, and emphasizing our differences instead of our shared realities.
Nijmie Zakkiyyah Dzurinko
Insights from a current campaign pitting a gritty group of leaders fighting on behalf of a quarter-million retired New York City municipal workers against an unholy alliance between labor leaders, state government and Wall Street.
Sheilah Garland-Olaranian
Several months after UAW members decided to strike to bring their wages and benefits into line with the enormous profits the automakers have enjoyed, it is not too late to gain a better understanding of the role of unions as the economy makes a seismic shift to production based on technology.
Levi Todd and Jonathan Nagy
In a time when the Democratic Party is nationally divided, Chicago reflects this fracture locally. A shift in the Cook County Democratic Party (CCDP) opens avenues for grassroots movements among the disadvantaged to assert political independence, challenging Corporate Democrats especially in local elections.
Tim W. Shenk, Robert Ascherman, and S. Ani Mukherji
Who are the enemies of the poor who make it impossible for us to live and thrive? How have they built and maintained their power? How are they organized? What are their weaknesses? The ruling class based on and around Wall Street must be studied to be countered effectively.
Bruce E. Parry
The capitalist class is the most organized, educated, strategic and powerful class in history. It is well financed. The capitalists are completely organized. And this class is on the attack.
UPoor Think Tank China Task Force
The UPoor Think Tank’s China Task Force was established to study the Chinese revolutionary process to identify lessons for our struggle. Many things about the Chinese situation are extremely different from our context in the US, but we can draw lessons from their cadres’ use of strategy and tactics.
