By Donald Reid (NHC Fellow, 1987–88; 2012–13) In 1973, faced with massive layoffs, workers at the legendary Lip watch firm in Besançon, France, occupied their factory to demand that no one lose their job. They seized watches and watch parts, assembled and sold watches, and paid their own salaries. Their actions recaptured the ideals of … Continued
The ’92 L.A. Riots erupted after a Simi Valley jury acquitted four officers despite a graphic video of them brutally beating a black motorist named Rodney King. This webinar explores the similarities and differences between the social unrest related to the King video and that sparked by the 9 minute and 29 second George Floyd … Continued
This seminar explores the historical contexts leading to the eruption of the uprisings known as the Arab Spring in early 2011. After a brief introduction to politics in Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria, we turn to the flowering of music, art, graffiti, poetry, film, and digital media that gave expression to the revolutionary unrest. This seminar … Continued
In September, 1913, more than 10,000 mine workers in southern Colorado walked off the job. Organized by the United Mine Workers of America, the largest union in the nation, they went on strike demanding better wages, shorter hours, safer working conditions, and the end of the exploitative company town system through which Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel … Continued
The deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have inspired Americans and people throughout the world to take to the streets in protest against police brutality. In the course of what might be the largest movement for civil rights since the 1960s, many activists have issued calls to “defund the police” in response to police … Continued
How can pop music help us understand historical movements? Does music have an effect on the outcome of protests throughout history? How does music foster connections between people in pursuit of a common goal? Through an examination of pioneering artists such as Sam Cooke, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Nina Simone, and Curtis Mayfield, … Continued
By its very nature, institutional racism is elusive, hiding in plain sight under the guise of accepted traditions and through modes of professional behavior that cast a blind eye on the experiences of people of color. It is incumbent on us, therefore, to pay careful attention to those whose experiences of the academy have been shaped by encounters with racial bias if we are to have any hope of correcting them.