We’re back later this month with a  new season of conversations with some of the most brilliant minds  working in  social justice. With interviews spanning a sober assessment of the year to come in anti-trans organizing, to the pervasive influence of violent misogyny, and how the authoritarian Hindu Nationalism movement shows up in the U.S., we will engage with the question of which movements, actors, and ideologies threaten our already failing democracy and what we, on the Left, can do to block them and build a just and inclusive democratic society. Tune in on January 30th wherever you get your podcasts.

In this conversation with Lauren Jacobs from PowerSwitch Action, the discussion focuses on the role of worker power in combating authoritarianism. Lauren and host Koki Mendis explore the allure of reactionary anti-state narratives in explaining worker precarity and how labor organizing can present counter-narratives and options for reducing worker suffering. They also discuss the barriers to unionization posed by corporations, the relationship between worker organizing and the presidential administrations, and the impact of municipal and county governing structures on worker power formation.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• “Austerity Kills,” a PRA Webinar featuring Saqib Bhatti, Lauren Jacobs, Daniel HoSang, and Donald Cohen, 2020. 
• “Precarity: The American Way,” a PRA Webinar featuring Aislinn Pulley, Jessica Quiason, and Gabriel Winant, 2021. 
• “Who Works for the Workers?” by Gabriel Winant, n+1, 2016.
• “Seizing Labor’s Moment w/ Alex Press & Eric Blanc,” The Dig, 2023.  
• “How to Build a Fighting Labor Movement w/ Jane McAlevey,” The Dig, 2023. 
• “On the Line w/ Daisy Pitkin,” The Dig, 2022. 

EPISODE KEYWORDS:

Worker Power, Labor Organizing, Labor Strikes, National Labor Relations Act, Community Organizing, Unions, Corporations, Union Busting, Capitalism, Authoritarianism.

What does it look like, on the ground, to fight the Far Right showing up in our communities? What is the day-to-day work of antifascists in this work for the long-haul? Daryle Lamont Jenkins is well poised to answer this question. He is the founder and executive director of One People’s Project (OPP), a New Jersey-based anti-hate organization that researches, monitors, and reports on right-wing groups and individuals that seek to polarize communities.

In this interview host Koki Mendis and Daryle discuss the change in how the Far Right has shown up both historically and today, the importance of pushback, and the work of One People's Project in documenting and exposing far-right movements. Daryle emphasizes the need for accurate research, community engagement, and maintaining credibility in the fight against the far-right. He also highlights the power of public pressure and holding individuals accountable for their actions.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Get involved with One People’s Project
• Culture and Belonging in the USA: Multiracial Organizing on the Contemporary Far Right (2019) by Cloee Cooper and Daryle Lamont Jenkins
• Police, Paramilitaries, and Protests for Racial Justice (2020) by Political Research Associates
• Paramilitaries at Your Protest: An Activist Field Guide to the Far Right (2020) by Political Research Associates
•  No Fascist USA! A Q&A with Hilary Moore, co-author of No Fascist USA!: The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee and Lessons for Today’s Movements (2020) by Shane Burley 

EPISODE KEYWORDS 

Antifascism, Antifa, One People’s Project, Proud Boys, Fight the Right, Fascism, White Supremacy, Anti-Fascist Organizing, January 6th, Movement, White Lives Matter, Activism, Police, Multi-Racial

The rise of far-right environmentalism is more than just a reactionary response to the climate crisis. It is an ideological framework weaponizing environmental concerns to propagate nativist and reactionary politics. Together with Alex Amend, an experienced freelance writer and researcher who has spent years studying far-right ideologies and climate change politics, we dissect the rhetoric of the climate crisis within the Far Right, including within the U.S. Republican party, while also revealing the role Gen Z Republicans play in this evolving landscape.

Don't let the greenwashing fool you. Ecofascism and econationalism are not about care for the environment. They want to preserve the environment for a very specific subset of the population, and are a veil for anti-immigration policies fueled by a desire to maintain a White patrician America. 

A case in point: the Unabomber. Ted Kaczynski's manifesto, while attacking leftism, still attracts the attention of the anarchist leftists and environmental radicals. But, its most potent influence is on the Far Right. Figures such as Tucker Carlson and Peter Thiel, as well as far-right neonazi telegram channels, use his life and work as a framework for justifying xenophobia. We review the allure of Kaczynski's legacy and the dangers posed by the Far Right's exploitation of the climate crisis. The conversation turns to the unique opportunities presented to far-right organizing in the face of climate destruction and active wildfires. 

Finally, we consider strategies to counteract this appeal and the importance of pushing narratives of abundance and justice. Join us as we navigate this complex and often disturbing intersection of far-right politics and environmentalism.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Blood and Vanishing Topsoil by Alex Amend 
• The Arc of History Bends Towards Climate Crisis: A PRA Roundtable Discussion with Andrew Curley, Alex Amend, Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, and Shanté Wolfe
• The Rise of the American Conservation Movement by Dorceta Taylor
• The Unabomber Manifesto in Historical Context by Peter Staudenmaier
• A Mighty Forest Is Our Race: Race, Nature, and Environmentalism in White Nationalist Thought by Kevan A. Feshami
• Greenwash: Nativists, Environmentalism and the Hypocrisy of Hate by SPLC

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

Far-Right Environmentalism, Republican Party, Ecofascism, Econationalism, Nativism, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Climate Crisis Rhetoric, Anti-Immigration Policies, Generation Z Republicans, American Conservation Movement, Great Replacement, Tucker Carlson, Peter Thiel, Neo-Nazi Telegram Channels, Inflation Reduction Act

In this eye-opening interview, Dr. Chrissy Stroop peels back the layers of Christian dominionism, and explains how this ideology is deeply woven into the fabric of Christian homeschooling.

Dr. Chrissy Stroop is both a former insider and an expert scholar. She has long written and shared candid stories of growing up in a Christian educational environment. Here, she recounts the ways in which evangelical ideology was deeply woven into her own educational experiences. Her experiences are a prism for a deep exploration into the world of Christian homeschooling and its dominionist influence throughout the country. As Dr. Stroop explains, the pervasiveness of Seven Mountains Dominionism in homeschooling spaces should not be underestimated. More than an implicit ideology, it is often central to the curricula adopted by homeschooling parents. 

We discuss the organizations, institutions, and ideologies behind Christian (home)schooling. We explore the role of the John Birch Society and the Council for National Policy in the grassroots development of the public school exit initiative. We discuss far-right movements that are supported by the DeVos family's school choice agenda. 

We also explore resistance, including the influential work of activists like R.L. Stollar and Torah Bontrager, as well as the importance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We consider the strategic defense against these movements and how to promote true separation of church and state, as well as religious pluralism.

Dr. Stroop also considers the valid reasons for pulling kids out of public schools in order to homeschool them, the difficulties of finding non-right-wing Christian co-ops and curricula, and explores how homeschooling families that do not support the right-wing Christian agenda often end up allying themselves with the Right, unintentionally.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• The Bugbear Dispatch, Chrissy’s new-ish Substack
• “Mission to Destroy Public Education Rebrands Under COVID-19: Understanding the Christian Homeschooling Movement,” by Chrissy Stroop
• R.L. Stollar’s blog and writings for Religion Dispatches
• Building God’s Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstruction, Julie J. Ingersoll

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

Christian Homeschooling, Christian Schooling, Dominionism, Seven Mountains Dominionism, Anti-Vax, Anti-Mask, White Male Patriarchy, John Birch Society, Council for National Policy, School Choice, Child Rights Advocacy, Limiting Parental Control, Wisconsin v. Yoder, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, HSLDA, Charter schools, Private schools, Public school

On this episode of Inform Your Resistance, host Koki Mendis and guest PRA Senior Research Analyst Ben Lorber pull back the curtain on the National Conservatism Conference 2022 (NatCon 3), a gathering of far-right politicians, intellectuals, and influencers with a goal to reshape the Right. Listen in as Ben gives us an on-the-ground view of the convention. With his focus on White nationalism and antisemitism, Ben provides a unique perspective on the rhetoric, atmosphere, and anti-elite sentiment that permeated the conference. 

Ben and Koki explore the rise of White Christian nationalism within the conservative movement and its impact on the U.S. political landscape. They unpack the agenda of figures in the National Conservatism movement: an obsession with culture war and moral order as a way to promote their vision for a Christian society–including the promotion of anti-abortion policies, bans on gay marriage, banning so called critical race theory in schools, and the enforcement of cis-heteropatriarchal gender roles. They analyze the transformation of the GOP into a movement that borrows from the economic populism of the Left, at least rhetorically, in an attempt to create a new right-wing nationalist consensus. Ben considers the presence of Orthodox Jews at NatCon3 and how their views may influence the Right's agenda. Finally, Koki asks Ben what it’s like to be there in person at a right-wing conference. 

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Part 1 of the map Ben mentions in this episode–“ A Bid For Power: Mapping The Electoral Far Right in the 2022 Elections” by Ben Lorber, Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann, Steven Gardiner
• Part 2 of the map Ben mentions in this episode–“The Fight Ahead: How the Electoral Far Right Fared in the 2022 Midterm Elections” by Ben Lorber, Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann, Steven Gardiner
• “The Elite Movement Laying the Foundation for a MAGA That Will Outlast Trump and Remake America: Inside NatCon Part I” by Ben Lober
• “White Nationalist Ideology Shines Through at Elite MAGA Conference: Inside NatCon Part II” by Ben Lorber
• “The postliberal crackup: The GOP’s post-midterm civil war starts with the New Right” by Kathryn Joyce

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

National Conservatism Conference, NatCon 3, Right Wing, White Nationalism, Antisemitism, Christian Nationalism, Christian Right, Conservative Movement, Politicians, Intellectuals, LGBTQ Rights, Gender Roles, Orthodox Jews, GOP, Republicans.

Uncover the disturbing realities of racial capitalism and state violence with host Koki Mendis and Saqib Bhatti, co-executive Director of the Action Center on Race and Economy (ACRE). Bhatti’s insights illuminate the distressing crossroads where austerity programs, mass incarceration, and a negligent police state meet. Throughout the conversation, Bhatti exposes the dangerous influence of corporations on public services and their contribution to the rise of a racialized policing system. We discuss ways in which over policing and mass incarceration uphold racist wealth and inequality and strategies available to us on the left to contest power and advance redistribution. We explore how austerity programs that reduce social safety nets and inflated budgets for incarceration and policing have created a relationship of criminalizing people instead of providing support and care. Technologies like ShotSpotter, which claims to  detect gunshots accurately, are not only rife with inaccuracies, but also operate on the myth that more policing leads to flourishing and safer communities.

The second part of our conversation pivots to the ways rideshare giants, Uber and Lyft, have upended the taxi industry, including how these corporations avoid responsibility for drivers’ employment conditions, and the consequent fallout for the predominantly immigrant workers who previously made their living as full-time taxi drivers. We further examine the related trend of companies being bought out by private equity firms, which can lead to workers losing their pensions and benefits while shareholders profit. Bhatti provides unique insights into the ensuing destabilization and the worrying trend of private equity firms buying failing corporations and profiting from their debt. 

We also explore how organizing labor, renter, and debtor unions can help build worker power and solidarity across economically marginalized groups. Finally, we consider the role of non-traditional unions in amassing and aggregating collective power to fight against corporations.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Murdered Behind the Wheel: An Escalating Crisis for App Drivers by Gig Workers Rising, PowerSwitch Action, and Action Center on Race and the Economy
• “What Does It Mean to Dismantle Racial Capitalism Anyway?” by Saqib Bhatti and Bree Carlson
• “Remaking the Economy: Race for Profit” an NPQ webinar recording with Maximillian Alvarez, Saqib Bhatti, and Bree Carlson
• “Austerity Kills” a PRA webinar recording with Saqib Bhatti, Lauren Jacobs, Daniel HoSang, and Donald Cohen
• STOP ShotSpotter coalition to end ShotSpotter and build community-led responses to address the root causes of gun violence

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

Racial Capitalism, State Violence, Austerity Programs, Mass Incarceration, Policing System, ShotSpotter, Uber, Lyft, Taxi Industry, Private Equity Firms, Anti-CRT, Critical Race Theory, Labor Unions, Renter Unions, Debtor Unions, Economic Interests, Collective Power, Wealthy Corporations.

Who are the abortion abolitionists? What drives them, and how do their tactics overlap with those of other far-right movements? Join host, Koki Mendis, and PRA Senior Research Analyst, Cloee Cooper, as we uncover the differences between the broader pro-life movement and the abortion abolitionist movement.

The abortion abolitionists are a nationwide network of militant anti-abortion far-right activists who want to eradicate all abortion. They would like to see the death penalty for those involved in abortion. They draw on the militant anti-abortion movement from the 1990s that was responsible for violence against abortion clinics and providers. We discuss how the pro-life movement is more interested in working within the US legal system for reforms that further restrict access to abortion, while the abortion abolitionists want to abolish abortion in all instances.

We explore the influence of Christian Reconstructionism on the anti-abortion movement, and how its vision for a theocratic society has had a significant impact on the abortion abolitionist movement today. We examine the overlap between the abortion abolitionist movement, militias, and other far-right movements, including the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection.

We examine the broader pro-life bills that have been introduced in various states, and we compare these bills with the ones that the abolitionists are advocating for, which would criminalize anyone who has an abortion and grant legal protection to fertilized eggs. We also look at the role of Bradley Pierce, the attorney behind many of the abortion abolitionist bills, and how his Foundation to Abolish Abortion is connected to the right-wing homeschooling movement. We explore the concept of the Overton window, and how the abortion abolitionist movement is pushing for their extreme ideas to become accepted as common sense.

Finally, we discuss how the abortion abolitionist movement is shifting its tactics to become more mainstream and to influence change. We assess the need to understand the strategies of the abortion abolitionist movement and to build coalitions to establish movement strategies rooted in communities and movements on the ground.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• No Sanctuary: Anti-Abortion “Abolitionists” Go to City Hall by Cloee Cooper and Tina Vásquez
• How the anti-abortion movement fed the Capitol insurrection by Tina Vasquez
• The anti-abortion abolitionist movement is dangerous. Here’s what you need to know by Cloee 
• Cooper and Tina Vásquez
• The New Abolitionists: The Christian Anti-Abortion Movement Gaining Ground in State Legislatures by Heidi Beedle
• The Army of Gideon: Anti-Abortion Activism in Wichita by Heidi Beedle
• Convergence of Far-Right, Anti-Democratic Factions in the Northwest Could Provide a Model for the Rest of the Nation by Frederick Clarkson and Cloee Cooper
• The Prochoice Religious Community May Be the Future of Reproductive Rights, Access, and Justice by Frederick Clarkson
• Mobilizing for Reproductive Freedom in the Battle Over Bodily Autonomy by PRA featuring Adaku Utah, Cloee Cooper, Loretta Ross, and Tara Romano

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

Abortion Abolitionists, Christian Right, Christian Reconstructionism, RJ Rushdoony, Capitol Insurrection, Anti-Abortion Legislation, Homeschooling Movement, Overton Window, Pro-Choice Religious Community, Movement Strategies, Collective Power for Reproductive Justice

We talk to experts about some of the most significant contemporary threats to democracy from the mainstream and Far Right so that you can inform your resistance in the fight for a just and inclusive democratic society.