More from the Florida State University Progress Coalition
New FSU President John Thrasher is taking a stance on controversy surrounding the Koch-funded faculty positions at the university that echoes the stance now being taken by those at the University of Illinois who have rescinded the offer letter to Steven Salaita and those who support that decision. Now that they have expressed their determination…
Speaker Series at Wright State University: 2. John McNay
On This Fifth Anniversary of the “Citizens United” SCOTUS Decision
What follows is the transcript of a speech given by Senator Bernie Sanders on the economic and political implications of widening wealth inequality and the “Citizens United” decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. The speech was given in late March 2014 on the floor of the U.S. Senate. _________________________ Thank you very much. As the…
Putting the John McAdams Case in Some Context
I agree that John McAdams should not be suspended for his speech. Like his colleague Daniel McGuire, but from a much greater distance, I find little in his political views with which I agree. Moreover, although I think that the way in which he handled the situation with a graduate student, which led to his…
Let the people of New York see labor’s story!
Stop the censorship of The City at the Crossroads of History! An Open Letter to the Puffin Foundation and the Museum of the City of New York: As individuals deeply concerned about both the history and current status of the labor movement, we are writing to oppose the suppression and censorship of a major new…
Ruling in CCSF Accreditation Suit
As regular readers of this blog know, I have been posting reports on the accreditation controversy at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) ever since the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) issued its “show cause” order in early July 2012. (The most recent post, from September 2014, is here, at the end…
Dr. King and Public Education
Today Diane Ravitch has made several posts to her blog that mark Martin Luther King Day. The first [http://dianeravitch.net/2015/01/19/in-honor-of-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/] provides a link to Dr. King’s speech that was the culmination of the March on Washington [http://www.ibtimes.com/mlk-i-have-dream-speech-full-text-read-martin-luther-kings-entire-march-washington-1787100 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs], as well as to the text of his “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail” [http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu:5801/transcription/document_images/undecided/630416-019.pdf]. The second…
Laying Claim to Dr. King’s Political Legacy
“Today we remember and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Even today, on movie screens, his message still resonates and on the streets of our communities his example still leads us. I am proud that the Democratic Party carries on Dr. King’s fights: to encourage equality of opportunity for all Americans, to…
When Legos Become Part of Our Public Discourse (Never Mind When They Become Art)
Sometimes a small news item encapsulates the rhetorical excess in the reporting and commentary on more profound issues. Over this past year, no topic has received more attention than the deaths of young men of color at the hands of the police and then the subsequent, retaliatory but random murders of policemen after one grand…