SLU professor Frances Fox Piven has been no stranger to press in her 86 years — many of which have been spent as a rabble-rousing leftist activist and respected leftist intellectual. Last week, Prof. Piven got yet one more feature to add to the list: a NYTimes profile by Alex Traub that describes her role in an evolving left, and the leadership she’s providing to a new generation of activists:
“She’s someone whose body of work shows that you don’t have to drift off into this La-La Land of intellectualism,” [Jacobin editor Micah] Uetricht said. “People should be going on strike. People should be withdrawing their labor power or causing chaos in society. That’s where their power comes from.”
Probably the most influential vector for Ms. Piven’s ideas is the social-justice incubator Momentum, a training program for progressives that formed in 2014.
Trainees include members of the Sunrise Movement, whose occupation of Ms. Pelosi’s office with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked conversation about the Green New Deal. It was just the sort of disruption Ms. Piven advocates.
“What tactics we use is exactly the question that Piven is addressing,” said Lissy Romanow, 35, Momentum’s executive director. Part of Ms. Piven’s appeal, she said, came from her view that social movements are required for big left-wing victories — a perspective suited to a generation disillusioned with liberal business as usual.
The Times article focuses on Dr. Piven’s reverential status among labor organizers and activists, and how she has influenced the current progressive movement — which it says is “full of Pivenites.” In July, she will be headlining the Socialism2019 Conference “No Borders, No Bosses, No Binaries”, to be held in Chicago.
Photo features Diversity Scholarship recipients from 2017 plus staff.
In 2012 the Murphy Institute launched a scholarship program designed to promote diversity in union leadership and labor education. The Joseph S. Murphy Diversity in Labor Scholarship program awards two-year scholarships of up to $30,000 for graduate students and up to $20,000 for undergraduate students. The scholarship is available to students applying to the M.A. in Labor Studies program, or the B.A. in Urban and Community Studies program with a concentration in labor studies.
This year, for the first time, the Diversity Scholarship is being celebrated as a signature program of the new CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. The 2019 fundraiser and awards gala will take place on Thursday, May 23rd from 5:30-7:30 PM at the School. Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, will be the guest speaker. The event will also feature the announcement of the 2019 Rising Leaders and the recipients of the 2019-20 scholarship awards.
When adults are interested in returning to school, they’re often faced with multiple challenges — jobs, children, bills, aging parents — yet are expected to navigate this process alone. In contrast, high school students, who typically experience fewer barriers than adult learners, receive built-in guidance from trained counselors present in their schools. Worker Education at the Murphy Institute strives to change this reality by bringing college access services directly to adults within their communities.
Recently launched with DC37, Worker Education’s new initiative “CUNY Days” offers free, thirty-minute, one-on-one sessions with experienced pre-admission advisors held at the union’s headquarters. Our advisors begin each session by discussing participants’ career goals and recommending various academic pathways at the School of Labor and Urban Studies and/or greater CUNY that could lead toward achieving this goal. Depending on the individual’s needs, sessions might also include application assistance, exploration of various industries and local labor market data, guidance on accessing union tuition benefits and financial aid, and more.Continue reading CUNY Days at DC37: Worker Education at the Murphy Institute’s New College Access Initiative→
On February 8th, members of SLU community gathered to to learn from and speak with two high-ranking officials from the new Mexican government led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
A discussion with TATIANA CLOUTHIER (Congresswoman from Mexico; former campaign director for current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador) and ROBERTO VALDOVINOS (Director, Institute of Mexicans Abroad), who addressed a wide range of topics relating to U.S.-Mexico relations, migration, economic renewal, and MORENA coalition’s approach to leading the new government.
On Thursday, January 24th, 63 new CUNY School of Labor and Urban studies students from all programs gathered for a New Student Orientation. Students were joined by faculty, student peers, and SLU advising and support staff to prepare for the spring 2019 semester. Thanks to all the staff and students who participated, and here’s to success for all our students in the semester ahead!
A conversation about workers, communities and social justice
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