Next Left

13: Want to Change Your City? Start In Your Community


Listen Later

You may have seen Philadelphia City Council Member Helen Gym rallying recently with Senator Bernie Sanders to save Philadelphia’s Hahnemann Hospital from closure. That fight earned national headlines. But it was typical of how Gym serves.

Gym is always rallying and marching, picketing and petitioning. She’s an activist and an organizer who sees her service as part of a movement politics that is rooted in her community but that forges networks that are global in scope and character. Gym understands cities as laboratories of democracy that spin out ideas that other cities, states, and nations can adopt. And she’s got a lot of ideas, as you’ll hear on this week’s Next Left podcast.

Gym got her start in journalism, but soon turned to teaching and organizing. She’s been involved with a remarkable group of activists and organizers in Philadelphia, Asian Americans United. With them, Gym has fought to defend public education, empower workers, and prevent the displacement of working class families by developers. Her candidacy four years ago for an At-Large City Council seat extended from that activism. She won, and she’s been so effective that this spring she was the top vote-getter among more than two dozen candidates in the citywide Democratic primaries. Helen Gym is proving that activism and political success go together, which is part of what makes her such a fascinating—and important—guest on Next Left.

SHOW NOTES

Activists in Philadelphia Have Reclaimed Control of the City’s Schools The Nation Jimmy Tobias
How Medicare for All Would Stop Hospitals Like Hahnemann from Closing The Nation Adam Gaffney
Bernie Sanders and Helen Gym: Philly’s fight for Hahnemann represents the need for health care for all Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Just Passed the Strongest Fair Scheduling Law in the Nation In These Times Bryce Covert
What does Helen Gym’s resounding vote total mean for Council and Education? The Notebook Greg Windle
(Something Inside) So Strong - Labi Siffre 


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Next LeftBy The Nation Magazine

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

130 ratings


More shows like Next Left

View all
The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,688 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,180 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

4,011 Listeners

The Majority Report with Sam Seder by Sam Seder

The Majority Report with Sam Seder

3,570 Listeners

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts by Slate Podcasts

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

3,485 Listeners

Edge of Sports by Dave Zirin / The Nation

Edge of Sports

608 Listeners

Jacobin Radio by Jacobin

Jacobin Radio

1,445 Listeners

The Nation Podcasts by The Nation Magazine

The Nation Podcasts

423 Listeners

Ralph Nader Radio Hour by Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader Radio Hour

1,187 Listeners

The Dig by Daniel Denvir

The Dig

1,562 Listeners

The Intercept Briefing by The Intercept

The Intercept Briefing

6,107 Listeners

Deconstructed by The Intercept

Deconstructed

4,250 Listeners

Bag Man by MSNBC, Rachel Maddow

Bag Man

27,734 Listeners

More Than Enough by Mia Birdsong, The Nation Magazine

More Than Enough

94 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,145 Listeners

American Prestige by Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

American Prestige

1,046 Listeners

Lever Time by David Sirota

Lever Time

557 Listeners