Category Archives: Issues

The Hidden Price of an Education: Black and Working-Class in Academe

Posted on August 17, 2020 by

In August 2004, I entered a doctoral program at Carnegie Mellon University. My family is from Braddock, Pennsylvania, a largely black neighborhood with working-class roots, and they were ecstatic that I would be their first doctor. I did not know … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Class at the Intersections, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Essential Work: The 2020 WCSA Awards

Posted on July 13, 2020 by

At the center of all the chaos and turmoil of 2020 has been the essential worker on the front lines—from healthcare workers treating those infected with COVID-19 to service workers of all kinds who have kept us fed, supplied, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Class and the Media, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy, Working-Class Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Downwardly Mobile: How Some People Lose Class Privilege

Posted on June 29, 2020 by

We have two narratives about class in this country. Perhaps the most prominent is the American Dream – the idea that hard work and moral fortitude can lead people from rages to riches. The second is that of the rigged … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Understanding Class | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Universal Basic Income and Working-Class Futures

Posted on June 22, 2020 by

There have been few good things to come out of COVID-19. We’ve seen a genuine sense of community spirit emerge along with greater respect for blue-collar workers in the front line. In the UK, we’ve seen another less obvious shift: … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy, Tim Strangleman | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Racism and the Working Class

Posted on June 15, 2020 by

When I tell other middle-class professionals who don’t know me well that I’m writing a book about working-class culture, it’s amazing how often they respond approvingly that “white racism” is an important subject.  My reaction, depending on the circumstance, ranges … Continue reading →

Posted in Class at the Intersections, Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

George Floyd and the Costs of Racial Capitalism

Posted on June 8, 2020 by

George Floyd’s public viewing will be held this afternoon at The Fountain of Praise Church in southwest Houston. A private funeral service will occur tomorrow followed by burial in Houston Memorial Gardens Cemetery about sixteen miles south of Houston’s Third … Continue reading →

Posted in Class at the Intersections, Contributors, Issues, Ken Estey, Labor and Community Activism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Will Lawyers Stand Up to Defend Working-Class Consumers?

Posted on June 1, 2020 by

Three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 40 million Americans have lost their jobs. 4.2 million homeowners have placed their mortgages in forbearance. Hundreds of thousands more are in default and have not yet worked out agreements with lenders … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Deindustrialization as a Template for COVID-19

Posted on May 18, 2020 by

As we wrote in Steeltown USA: Work and Memory in Youngstown, Youngstown’s story is America’s story. That’s true now as we try to imagine American life after the pandemic. No doubt, coronavirus is a natural disaster that is more contagious, widespread, … Continue reading →

Posted in Issues, John Russo, The Working Class and the Economy, Youngstown | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“People Ain’t Gonna Come to Work if They Don’t Feel Safe”

Posted on May 11, 2020 by

If you live in Iowa, you get to see a little bit of how the sausage is made, so to speak, especially if it’s pork. It’s a common occurrence to see long semi-truck trailers on the highways, with round pink … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher R. Martin, Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy, Work | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Fishing Industry Workers Struggle to Beat Long Odds

Posted on May 4, 2020 by

A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing signs of worry about the food supply. Meatpacking plants have closed due to high rates of infection among workers. Farmers plow crops under and pour thousands of gallons of milk down … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy, Work | Tagged , , | 1 Comment