The Ka
lamazoo Socialist Party invites the broader Kalamazoo community to a lively presentation and discussion about:
“American Socialism & Radical Labor Movements”
Many mainstream media pundits and political analysts have painted the recent return of socialism into the American lexicon as a new and novel phenomenon following the Bernie Sanders campaign and election of prominent members of the Democratic Socialists of America to the United States Congress. To the casual observer, they would be correct.
But in reality Socialism in the United States in hardly a new phenomenon, and particularly in its heyday in the early 20th century saw vast numbers of Americans embracing the core tenets and values of the party. There was a time where cities were electing Socialists in large numbers, from city council members to mayors, and Socialist presidential candidate Eugene Dens peaked at %5 of the vote in the national election.
There is also the oft forgotten role American Socialists and Communists played in labor movements of the time, often acting as the radical vanguard taking on entrenched business interests and pushing for workers rights with a militancy lost in modern labor politics. It was also many of these groups who were most outspoken and involved in organizing black and brown workers, bearing the brunt of American capitalism’s particular white supremacist character.
Members of the Kalamazoo Socialist Party will lead a teach-in and discussion about this important but buried history.
We will be providing FREE DINNER and refreshments for attendees.
Join us Thursday March 28, 2019, 6PM
Kalamazoo Public Library – Central Branch
Van Deusen Room
315 S. Rose. St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007