Democratic Socialists of America

The Future of Workers: A Virtual Discussion with Sarita Gupta, Stephen Lerner, Joseph A. McCartin, and Bianca Cunningham

Wednesday, July 22 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT  

Join the Democratic Socialists of America Fund, Dissent magazine, and The New Press for the next installment in an ongoing series of virtual discussions based on the recently released We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism—American Style. This month’s discussion will focus on Sarita Gupta, Stephen Lerner, and Joseph McCartin’s chapter in the book titled: “Democracy, Equality, and the Future of Workers.”

After you sign up, we'll send you an email with information for joining the call on July 22.

Amidst an unprecedented pandemic and in the face of a racist police state, we must chart a new course. In We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism—American Style, leading  thinkers and activists come together to examine the United States’ own democratic socialist history and how we might achieve a world where every human being is guaranteed a life of safety, health, dignity, and even joy, free from the commodification of basic necessities. The chapters of this timely and urgent volume tackle climate change, foreign policy, gender and the family, healthcare, election reform, socialist governance, reparations, and more. 

Our topic on July 22 will be the future of workers, and the need to confront issues of democracy and persistent inequalities through organizing a powerful rank and file labor movement.

Sarita Gupta is the Director of the Future of Work(ers) Program at the Ford Foundation. She leads the team that oversees Ford’s efforts to actively shape a future of work that puts workers and their well-being at the center. Before that she was the Executive Director of Jobs With Justice and the co-director of Caring Across Generations.

Stephen Lerner is Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor where he leads work on the Bargaining for the Common Good Campaign. He is the architect of the Justice For Janitors campaign, and a union and community organizer.

Joseph A. McCartin is Professor of History and Executive Director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor & the Working Poor at Georgetown University.  He has written widely on the history of U.S. workers and their movements, including in Dissent magazine, and his most recent book is Labor in America: A History (co-authored with Melvyn Dubofsky).

Bianca Cunningham is a director of the Democratic Socialists of America Fund Board. She began her labor career organizing her Verizon store with Communications Workers of America. Today, Bianca is a staff organizer at Labor Notes and a co-founder of the AfroSocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus of DSA.

This event could go as late at 9:30pm Eastern.

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