Writer Lydia Otero's books include L.A. Interchanges (upcoming July 31, 2023) about brown queer activism in 1980s L.A. CA; In the Shadows of the Freeway: Growing Up Brown & Queer (2019); and La Calle (2011). They are featured in PBS's Unidad: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos. Otero has a PhD in History.

"A one-of-a-kind lyrical and fast-paced memoir of the frontlines and trenches of Native liberation in the Four Corners and Southwest in the 1970s. From the late summer of 1972 to the late summer of 1974, John Redhouse and many other Red Power activists put everything on the line to organize mass movements and direct actions for Native liberation. It was an extraordinary time defined by stunning victories and intense struggles. In just a few short years, Redhouse and his contemporaries changed Navajo and Native people's collective destinies. So profound was their impact that it can still be felt fifty years later. Written in the first-person with a spirit of generosity and witness, John Redhouse describes the fever pitch of the times, focusing on the racist and exploitative bordertowns in the Four Corners area of the Southwest region. He interweaves a piercing critique of violence against Navajo people in reservations bordertowns with a condemnation of the violence that rapidly growing mineral extraction in and around the Navajo Nation introduced to Navajo life. As a firsthand participant in some of the most important twentieth-century struggles against this manifold violence, Redhouse is one of only a few grassroots intellectuals who can tell this story. [This book] brings readers to the enduring struggle for Native liberation, traced over half a century ago, where John Redhouse and many more led a revolution that continues to this day."--Back cover.

"Exploring 400 years of protest and resistance in US history-and what the unsung heroes of social movements past can teach us about navigating our chaotic world"-- Provided by publisher.

How do social movements arise, wield power, and decline? Renowned scholar Linda Gordon investigates these questions in a groundbreaking work, narrating the stories of many of America's most influential twentieth-century social movements. Beginning with the turn-of-the-century settlement house movement, Gordon then scrutinizes the 1920s Ku Klux Klan and its successors, the violent American fascist groups of the 1930s. Profiles of two Depression-era movements follow--the Townsend campaign that brought us Social Security and the creation of unemployment aid. Proceeding then to the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, which inspired the civil rights movement and launched Martin Luther King Jr.'s career, the narrative barrels into the 1960s-70s with Cesar Chavez's farmworkers' union. The concluding chapter illumines the 1970s women's liberation movement through the dramatic story of the Boston-area organizations Bread and Roses and the Combahee River Collective. Separately and together, these seven chapters animate American history, reminding us of the power of collective activism.-- Publisher description

This week marks the annual Banned Books Week across the country, which celebrates free speech and rallies against censorship. The Hawaiʻi Library Association and American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii partnered to launch this year's celebration, which is themed “Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights".

Pioneering actor, author, and activist George Takei has been named honorary chair of Banned Books Week, which will take place October 5 – 11, 2025. Takei will be joined in leading the annual event by youth honorary chair Iris Mogul.

Beyond the Stacks: Ecofeminist Expressions Collaborative Book Collection

Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the United States by Rafael A. Martínez examines the collective activism and resilience of undocumented youth in America. The book delves into the socio-political movements these individuals have formed in response to their precarious legal status. Martínez explores the power of direct action, the challenges posed by detention and deportation, and the role of artivism and alternative cultural practices in fostering community and belonging. By highlighting personal narratives and historical contexts, the author aims to shed light on the systemic barriers undocumented youth face and their relentless pursuit of rights and recognition. The book is targeted at scholars, activists, and policymakers interested in immigration, social justice, and youth movements.

In Banned, readers are taken on a journey through the intense racial politics surrounding the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, Arizona. This book details the state-sponsored racism that led to the elimination of this highly successful program, and the grassroots and legal resistance that followed. Through extensive research and firsthand narratives, readers will gain a deep understanding of the controversy surrounding this historic case. The legal challenge successfully overturned the Arizona law and became a central symbol in the modern-day Ethnic Studies renaissance. This work is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the power of community activism, the importance of fighting for educational equity, and why the example of Tucson created an alternative blueprint for how we can challenge states that are currently banning critical race theory.

Alt Text: White words on blue background stating “Rather than succumbing to helplessness, the response is to do something, take a step, find your work, and commit to it.” Allison Jennin…

"After decades of union decline and rising inequality, an inspiring wave of workplace organizing--from Starbucks stores to Amazon warehouses to southern auto factories--has thrust unionization into the national spotlight. By analyzing this surge and telling the stories of the courageous workers driving it forward, We Are the Union makes a case for how to overcome business as usual in both corporate America and organized labor. Eric Blanc shows that recent struggles have developed a new organizing model, worker-to-worker unionism, which builds scalable power by giving rank-and-filers an unprecedented degree of leadership. Through digital tools and ambitious campaigns, young worker leaders are turning the labor movement back into a movement--and they're winning. Rigorously researched and compellingly written, We Are the Union illustrates how this new grassroots approach can exponentially grow the power of working people to overcome economic exploitation, racial injustice, and authoritarianism at work and beyond."--Publisher's description.

"Purnell details how multi-racial social movements rooted in rebellion, risk-taking, and revolutionary love pushed her and a generation of activists toward abolition. The book travels across geography and time, and offers lessons that activists have learned from Ferguson to South Africa, from Reconstruction to contemporary protests against police shootings. Here, Purnell argues that police can not be reformed and invites readers to envision new systems that work to address the root causes of violence. Becoming Abolitionists shows that abolition is not solely about getting rid of police, but a commitment to create and support different answers to the problem of harm in society, and, most excitingly, an opportunity to reduce and eliminate harm in the first place"--Provided by publisher.

As a civil rights attorney, your impact extends far beyond individual cases and courtroom victories. You stand at the forefront...

A Sarah Jessica Parker-produced documentary on the brave librarians fighting a wave of rightwing book bans has sparked conversation at Sundance

You’ve spoken up. Now it’s time to lead. Here are simple, powerful ways to boldly advocate for issues that matter to you.

Americans of Conscience Checklist is an email checklist for democracy, voting access, equality for ALL and good news for the American people.

Feinberg Series Panel with Joe Berry and Diana Vallera moderated by Cedric de LeonIn recent decades campuses have relied more and more on contingent instruct...

Longtime Tucson Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva, who inspired generations of environmental and inner-city activists in a political career that spanned more than a half-century, died Thursday morning.

Tucson has become a hotspot for growing protests, sparked by global issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict and local reactions to President Donald Trump’s policies. What began as a response from the University of Arizona students to the escalating violence between Israel and Palestine in October 2023 became a focal point for a new wave of...

ALA's success depends on the library community's collective efforts to advocate for policies that positively impact patrons and the ability of libraries to serve them effectively. We hope you will use these resources in your advocacy work at home.

TUCSON – Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released the following statement today in response to reports that tear gas, freezing water and rubber bullets were used Sunday night against a crowd of approximately 400 Water Protectors and demonstrators at the Dakota Access Pipeline. The altercation injured more than 150 demonstrators and one law enforcement officer. […]

WASHINGTON – Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on President Biden’s decision to commute the life sentence of renowned Native American activist Leonard Peltier. Mr. Peltier will be able to serve the remainder of his sentence at home. “For too long, Mr. Peltier has been denied both justice and the pursuit […]

Native American activist moves to home imprisonment after Joe Biden commuted sentence at end of presidency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2025 Belcourt, ND – To welcome Leonard Peltier back to his homelands after 49 years...

"The inspiring, on-the-ground story of the rising grassroots leaders in the abortion rights movement during the pivotal first year after Dobbs. When the Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization -- overturning the constitutional right to abortion care -- the country was thrown into chaos. Abortion providers and their patients faced sudden closures, new restrictions, and rapidly changing rules as nearly half of the states moved quickly to ban or severely curtail abortion access. Against this backdrop, an army of health care providers, lawyers, activists, and everyday people mobilized to protect what a majority of Americans want: legal abortion. In You Must Stand Up, Nieman Fellow Amanda Becker provides a real-time portrait of the creative resistance that unfolded in America's first year without the protections of Roe v. Wade. Amidst daily shifts in health care access, new legal battles coming before partisan courts, and up-for-grabs state constitutions, Becker follows the leaders rising to meet these challenges -- doctors and staffers turning to new financial and medical models to remain open and provide abortions, volunteers campaigning against antiabortion ballot initiatives, and medical students fighting to learn to provide what can be lifesaving care. By depicting the splintered reality of post-Dobbs America, and by capturing how Americans have developed new ways to best protect their constitutional rights, Becker ultimately shows how outrage can beget hope, and give rise to a new movement." --

"Trump refused to condemn the insurrection which left five people dead including a Capitol law enforcement officer. He even praised the rioters calling them "patriots" saying "we love you" and "you are very special." The episode was reminiscent of his notorious declaration that there were "very fine people on both sides" in the aftermath of the violence at the deadly 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville Virginia."

In a recently published piece in the Nation magazine, author and scholar Barbara Smith proposes a a comprehensive racial justice program even more sweeping than the Marshall Plan to combat white supremacy and resulting systemic racism. Smith talks to HMM correspondent Corinne Carey about her proposa

As Trump vows to smash leftist movements, we take a comprehensive look at the life of the revolutionary Black socialist, antifascist, and artist Paul Robeson. University of Houston historian Dr. Gerald Horne, author of “Paul Robeson: The Artist as Revolutionary,” discusses Robeson’s life from his early years to his time in Europe on the brink of a fascist war. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson rose to international fame as a singer and actor, but committed himself to the liberation of oppressed people across the globe and was a tenacious fighter for the freedom of Black people in the U.S. Robeson was heavily surveilled by the FBI and CIA, dragged before the House Un-American Activities Committee and was stripped of his passport by a U.S. government afraid that he would become a “Black Stalin.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The Multiculturalism Policy Index is a scholarly research project that monitors the evolution of multiculturalism policies in 21 Western democracies. The project is designed to provide information about multiculturalism policies in a standardized format that aids comparative research and contributes to the understanding of state-minority relations. The project provides an index for each of three types of minorities: one index relating to immigrant groups one relating to historic national minorities and one relating to indigenous peoples. The Multiculturalism Policy Index and supporting documentation are freely available for researchers public officials journalists students activists and others interested in the topic."