Jon Nelson hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
Grad Students on Strike: Grad student teachers, researchers, teaching assistants, and more, 48,000 of them, are now on strike across the University of California system. It’s the largest strike in the History of American higher ed, and what happens at the University of California will set the standard for a sector that today employs more people than the federal government. And success will add to the rebellion of the young, including at Amazon, Starbucks, museums, libraries and across the U.S. Bill Resnick talks to Kenzo Esquivel one of the strike leaders on the Berkeley campus. They discuss the strike and its significance in propelling the greatest strike wave and worker challenge in the last fifty years in this country.
Confessions of the Fox: Frann Michel recommends the novel Confessions of the Fox (2018) by Jordy Rosenberg, a genre-bending work of radical speculative history from below, telling the story of the real 18th-century thief, jailbreaker, and folk hero Jack Sheppard, reimagined here as a trans man allied with other criminals, radicals, and people of color in resisting the miseries of carceral capitalism.
In Memoriam-Yvonne Simmons: In the second half of the “Life and Legacy of Yvonne Simmons,” we hear more about the remarkable life of this London street kid, who became a folk singer, international peace activist, and a founding member of Portland Peace and Justice Works. Featuring reflections from Mary Rose, the other half of the folk duo Simmons-Rose; Dan Handelman of Portland Peace and Justice Works; Darien Delu, President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom USA.
- KBOO