People’s History: The Diggers On this day in 1649, a working-class movement, that would come to be known as the Diggers, believing that the land belonged collectively to all, arrived on St. George’s Hill in Surrey, England and began to communally sew crops in defiances of the landlords. “This Declares likewise to all Laborers, or such as… Read more »
People’s History
People’s History: Students on Strike!
Today is the anniversary of the longest strike in UK history when young primary school students went on strike for 25 years after the sacking of their two socialists teachers. Soliciting donations from all over the country the students along with their former teachers founded an alternative school known as the Burston Strike School to… Read more »
People’s History: Vive La Commune!
On this day in 1871, the workers and the dispossessed of Paris, France took fate into their own hands and liberated themselves from wage slavery by establishing the Paris Commune. For 72 days they worked cooperatively to provide a glimpse of what society could look like if organized in a radically democratic way. The project… Read more »
People’s History: Remembering Triangle
Today marks one of the most abominable industrial disasters in the history #NewYorkCity and the country. On 25 March 1911, poor working condition led to a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The tragedy was made more deadly due to the doors of the stairwells and exits being kept locked by owners, allegedly to prevent theft and… Read more »
People’s History: ACT UP, Fight AIDS, Fight Back!
On this day in 1987, at least 250 people, some of whom were living with the AIDS virus, halted traffic on Wall Street for several hours and passed out thousands of fact sheets about the disease. It was the first action of the radical, direct-action group AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP), which had… Read more »
People’s History: Abahlali baseMjondolo
On this day in 2005, roughly 750 residents of the Kennedy Road shack settlement in Durban, South Africa formed a road blockade to demand housing, electricity, & water as human rights. This action led to the formation of Abahlalibase Mjondolo. More here: bit.ly/AbMAbM
People’s History: The Birth of International Women’s Day
“Internationaler Frauentag” was proposed at the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference by socialist feminist leaders Luise Zietz and Clara Zetkin. In 1914 on the eve of WWI, Womens Day was first observed across the world on March 8th in support of woman’s suffrage and as a staunch rebuke of the churning imperialist war machine. More… Read more »
People’s History: The Kronstadt Uprising
On this day in 1921, the Bolshevik Army began an unrelenting assault on the workers, peasants, sailors and citizens of Kronstadt after they demanded the freedom to organize, speak, assemble, and form unions. After holding out for more than a week thousands were killed, executed, or imprisoned for their participation. More here: bit.ly/Kstadt
People’s History: Lucy Parsons
On this day in 1942, a house fire in Chicago tragically silenced one of the most ardent revolutionary voices the city had ever known. “We are willing to work for peace at any price, except at the price of liberty.” –Lucy Parsons More here via Jacobin Magazine: bit.ly/lucypar
People’s History: Rosa Luxemburg
On this day in 1871, revolutionary socialist, radical feminist, and antiwar activist, Rosa Luxemburg was born in Zamość, Poland. “Freedom only for the supporters of the government, only for the members of a party – however numerous they may be – is no freedom at all. Freedom is always the freedom of the one who… Read more »