The radical roots of Baldwin film a weapon International Women’s in the struggle Day PAGES 4&5 PAGE 7

$2 | No 590 | March 2017 socialist.ca

‘60s Scoop’ Valerie Lannon on the recent court victory Page 2 Trumping Trudeau John Bell on Chris Alexander Ezra Levant the 1% united Page 3 Frederick Douglass Brian Champ on the legacy of the great Abolitionist Page 6 STOP THE Barrier-free Canada? Melissa Graham critiques Trudeau’s consultations Page 7 Fair wages Kevin Taghabon on the BIGOTS food service strike FIGHT ISLAMOPHOBIA Page 8

“We are a community under siege”, scrawled hate speech outside the Red of “anti-terrorism.” Conservative ful track record when it comes to the country. There was spontaneous said Samer Majzoub of the Canadian Deer Islamic Centre in Alberta. MP Kellie Leitch proposed a tip line state-sanctioned Islamophobia. It solidarity for the mosque in , Muslim Forum. “The climate that the When Mississauga MP Iqra Kha- against “barbaric cultural practices”, was the Liberals of Jean Chrétien and there are upcoming rallies against Conservatives have brought up… has lid introduced Motion 103 to “con- while Chris Alexander showed a cal- who passed “anti-terror” legislation racism and Islamophobia, along with created waves of Islamophobia all demn Islamophobia and all forms lous disregard for Syrian refugees. after 9/11, which paved the way for a campaign to push Trudeau to accept over the country.” of systemic racism and religious These Tory leadership hopefuls Bill C-51. is con- refugees from the US. On January 29, a white supremacist discrimination”, she received tens of are continuing Harper’s hateful leg- tinuing Harper’s legislation and his Shamefully, the NDP sided with opened fire in a mosque in Quebec thousands of hateful e-mails. acy. Opposing Motion 103, Leitch racist wars. Other than tweet against the Tories by supporting their “count- City, killing six people. On February has called for people to “fight back Trump’s travel ban, Trudeau has done er-motion” which clearly aimed to 3, vandals smashed windows and Home-grown racists against all of this politically correct nothing to open the borders. delegitimize Motion 103. spray painted the Khadijah Islamic Racists are clearly feeling embold- nonsense,” and the Tories tried to At a time when Trump and the To- Centre in . On February 14, ened by Donald Trump’s bigotry and counter the motion with one that Solidarity ries are encouraging waves of Islam- a group of racists yelled slurs at a travel ban. But the spike in Islamopho- condemned all racism except for Fortunately, there has been an out- ophobia from coast to coast, and the Muslim doctor in Hamilton. On Feb- bia springs from home-grown racism. Islamophobia. pouring of solidarity for the Muslim Liberals are offering only lip service ruary 17, a gang of racists surround- For years, the Harper government As Liberal MP Chandra Arya said, community. Within 24 hours of the ter- in response, we need a voice in Parlia- ed a downtown Toronto mosque, fanned the flames of hatred—from “Fear is a dangerous thing. Once it rorist attack on the mosque in Quebec, ment to echo solidarity for Muslims— spewing hate. In February, a Muslim Harper declaring “the major threat is is sanctioned by the state, there’s no there were vigils of thousands in Mon- to say: Fight the hate, stop racism and woman was physically assaulted in Islamicism”, to launching racist wars, telling where it might lead.” treal and Ottawa. The following week- Islamophobia, end the attacks on civil Mississauga. On February 21, a man to curtailing civil liberties in the name But the Liberals have a shame- end there were solidarity rallies across liberties, and open the borders. Court victory for First Nations Tory leadership race... to the ‘Sixties Scoop’ survivors bottom by Valerie Lannon If they were allowed to find out where home as early February, the government tried to was and if they were able to get there, they block Belobaba from handing down his by Valerie Lannon On February 14, after eight years of court often felt they did not fit in because they had ruling, saying that Indigenous Affairs Minister battles, First Nations plaintiffs in Ontario no knowledge of the community’s language or Carolyn Bennett wanted to “negotiate” with Just when you thought the Tory scumbags won a big court victory over the federal traditions. survivors. couldn’t reach any lower, you witness four government. Ontario Superior Court And on February 2, government lawyers so-called “leadership” candidates denouncing Justice Belobaba sided with the survivors Fighting back said that “the government did not have a legal Islam at the February 15 “emergency rally” of the “60s Scoop” who argued that the But the spirit of resistance was never far obligation to concern itself with the cultural called by extreme right-wingers. The event was government-sanctioned wholesale adoption away and today in every province Indigenous identity of Indigenous people” according to a cesspool of racism, Islamophobia and hatred into non-Indigenous families led to the trauma peoples are fighting back through lawsuits the plaintiff’s lawyer Jeffery Wilson. of immigrants who aren’t white. associated with loss of language, culture, against either the federal or provincial But this is the same Trudeau government Two of the candidates in attendance, family and community. governments responsible. In Ontario, the that has totally refused to negotiate with First Kellie Leitch and Chris Alexander, were the As Belobaba said, “The uncontroverted fight was led by Beaver House Chief Marcia Nations child welfare agencies across Canada main promoters of Harper’s “Zero tolerance evidence of the plaintiff’s experts is that the Brown Martel. Adopted out at age nine, she to provide the equitable funding declared for Barbaric Cultural Practices” proposed loss of their Aboriginal identity left the children later discovered the Canadian government had required by the Canadian Human Rights legislation, now in the trash where it belongs. fundamentally disoriented, with a reduced declared her original identity dead. After the tribunal. That tribunal case also took almost On the same day, we saw Tory MPs ability to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.” judge’s decision, she told the CBC “Our voices ten years due to government efforts to hijack scrambling to oppose Liberal MP ’s Their removals, which happened between were finally heard and listened to.” proceedings. The tribunal will meet again in motion to denounce racism and Islamophobia, 1965 and 1984, were “justified” by child The survivors are asking for $85,000 each March to decide what more can be done to insisting that the word Islamophobia be welfare agencies that judged First Nations’ in damages, for a total of $1.3 billion, arguing bring the government into compliance. removed from the motion. ways of parenting as not up to the “standard” that the federal government breached part of No doubt the resilience of the Sixties of white, Eurocentric society. This was the agreement that requires consultation with Scoop survivors will mean they will refuse Leitch combined with a refusal to alleviate the harsh First Nations bands about the federally funded to be seduced by the government’s so-called At least leeches once served a medicinal conditions caused by colonially enforced child welfare program. “offer to negotiate”. Indeed, one survivor – purpose. Now MP Leitch personifies the poverty that made families vulnerable. William Campbell, who now lives in Thunder soul-destroying animosity towards all things In Ontario alone, over 16,000 children were Pressure on Liberals Bay – told CBC: “Even today, there are more Islamic, including her Trumpish proposal to removed. The effects were devastating for The main reason the court battle went on so First Nations kids in care than ever before. screen immigrants for “Canadian values”. the parents whose children were taken away. long was the disgusting practice of both the Obviously, the problem is still there.” Thanks to the renewed spirit of resistance And those who were removed, like virtually Harper and Trudeau governments to have Still, the court decision is a great victory for triggered by the election of Donald Trump, all adoptees, ultimately wanted to come home. the case delayed or dismissed. As recently First Nations survivors. her constituency office was draped with a banner containing the names of all six Muslims murdered in the Quebec mosque on January 29. Trudeau: we’re watching you O’Leary While O’Leary avoids some of the caustic racism of Leitch and Alexander, he prides by Kevin Taghabon himself on the same supposed “anti-politics” and blow-hard love of laissez-faire capitalism Canadian Journalists for Free Expression that Trump espouses. And let’s face it, this (CJFE) held a public rally on February 25 in form of capitalism has never really existed. Toronto. The coordinated events happening in It’s always been capitalism for the poor and cities coast to coast were billed as “Trudeau: socialism for the rich, which means subsidies We’re Watching You”, in keeping with the for corporations and austerity for the rest of us. theme of omnipresent surveillance. The race to the bottom affects other The large group that gathered was protesting candidates too, including those not previously the national security apparatus’ creeping known for being more bigoted than your hostility towards the press and free expression. average Tory. Candidate Maxime Bernier This includes the bipartisan (Harper-Trudeau) has denounced a transgender rights bill he embrace of the draconian national security Bill previously supported, saying it poses a threat C-51. to free speech in Canada. Bill C-16, which Additionally, CJFE is calling on citizens amends the Canadian Human Rights Act to voice their support for Bill S-231, the and the Criminal Code to include the terms Journalistic Sources Protection Act, advanced “gender identity” and “gender expression” is by Senator Claude Carignan. During his supported by human rights groups as a means speech, CJFE Executive Director Tom of protecting transgender people. Henheffer described the decade of Stephen Toronto rally organized by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Photo: Kevin Taghabon Harper’s rule as a “dark age” for the press. He Solidarity added that unfortunately, Trudeau’s actions developed country in the world that doesn’t The Canadian citizenry has not escaped Those in the Conservative party left over from are closer to Harper’s than many had hoped have a press shield law.” Because of this, the government’s mass dragnets either. One the early days of the Reform Party now have for. the state can go after journalists directly. For known program was CSIS’ warrantless the confidence to come out of their caves of example, the RCMP has taken VICE journalist bulk collection of Canadian citizens’ bigotry. But we have also seen immediate Trudeau’s broken promises Ben Makuch to court in an attempt to force communications from 2006-2016. When it acts of solidarity with Muslims and refugees During the 2015 election campaign, Trudeau him to hand over chat logs between him and a came to light last November, Federal Court on a pan-Canadian basis, whether in response pledged to amend Bill C-51 after having voted source. Last year it was revealed that that six Justice Simon Noël struck down the program to the murders at the mosque, for it in Parliament. His majority government reporters in Quebec were under surveillance as unconstitutional. Noël rebuked CSIS for white supremacist and anti-Islam flyers in New has taken no action to amend the law in the during their attempts to uncover police using technology as an excuse to “flout or Westminster and Toronto, or the February 17 16 months they have held power. At the rally, malfeasance. stretch legal parameters.” counter-rally in front of the Masjid Toronto every person conversing about C-51 was mosque. calling for a repeal of the law entirely. These acts of support are essential and will Meanwhile, activists with FairVote.ca – a term that could include not securing need to be timely and large if we are to beat circulated leaflets in support of MP Nathan Repeal C-51 the appropriate noise by-law exemption for back the hatred unleashed by Trump and now Cullen’s record-breaking Parliamentary loud megaphone use after 7pm.” provided by Tory leadership candidates. petition (e-616) urging the Liberals to enact l C-51 increases the power of government And we cannot let the Liberals off the electoral reform, another high-profile election agencies to share information, without l Lawyers Clayton Ruby and Nader Hasan hook either. While their rhetoric in support promise Trudeau has broken. implementing safeguards that two public describe the impact of C-51: “Six Muslim of refugees and Indigenous peoples sounds Gerald Parker, Executive Director of the inquiries recommended after analysing the young adults stand in front of a mosque positive, their support for military actions Institute of Canadian Justice, contends that cases of Maher Arar and others who were late at night in heated discussion in some in the Middle East, their refusal to respect the Trump administration’s demonization of deported to torture based on information foreign language… They may be talking Indigenous sovereignty, and their continued the press was learned by watching Stephen shared by the Canadian government. about video games, or sports, or girls… disregard for civil liberties (via backing Bill Harper’s administration. According to Parker, But the new standard for arrest and de- C51) shows their true blue colours. the ‘anti-press’ climate in the US “was very l According to CJFE, under C-51 tention—reason to suspect that they may You can show solidarity with those much trial ballooned in Canada under the “[s]tanding up to protect Aboriginal lands, commit an act—is so low that an officer oppressed through government action and Harper regime. Let’s not kid ourselves.” protesting oil sands or pipelines, and being may be inclined to arrest and detain them right-wing bigotry by joining the many acts involved in RCMP-targeted environmental in order to investigate further… Yesterday, of support coming up in the next few months. Mass surveillance groups could lead to you being placed un- the Muslim men were freely exercising con- March 11 will see International Women’s Day Canada’s press freedoms are not strongly der increased surveillance or arrest if any stitutional rights to freedom of expression marches, March 21 will see anti-racism events enshrined in law. Bill S-231 seeks, in part, to of your activities are deemed “unlawful” and assembly. Today they are arrestable.” and on April 29 the streets will be filled with remedy this. Parker stated, “We’re the only those wanting an end to the climate war.

2 Socialist Worker March 2017 Liberals rebrand Tory deal

by Gabriel Newman Hogan

Two days into his European goodwill tour, Justin Trudeau spoke at a black-tie banquet in Hamburg. To the astonishment of the world press, Trudeau blamed corporate elites for the growing discord and anger in western liberal politics, saying “It’s time to pay a living wage, to pay your taxes, and to give your workers the benefits – and peace of mind – that come with stable, full-time contracts.” So impressed was Germany’s Die Welt newspaper, they branded Trudeau the “anti-Trump”. It’s a scorching indictment of the current state of bourgeois politics that Trudeau, recip- ient of millions through cash-for-access fund- raisers, defender of Canada’s criminally low corporate tax rate, and enthusiastic pipeline booster, appears as a progressive amidst the growing wave of xenophobic right-nationalism sweeping the Western world. Trudeau is a gifted student of the old Liberal technique of saying the right things while pulling the rug out from under Canadian work- ers. If you were to compare the agenda of the Trudeau government with its public stances, you might come to the conclusion that the two originate from entirely different places. Clearly Trudeau sees that there is political currency in defining himself in opposition to Donald Trump. This technique has been put to pernicious use in defending Trudeau’s free- trade policies. In the wake of Donald Trump’s election the Trudeau Liberals have rushed to construct their support for globalization as a Trumping Trudeau defense of inclusivity, tolerance, and multicul- turalism. This brings us back to Hamburg. Justin Trudeau was in Europe to sign the It isn’t hard for Trudeau to look better than Trump Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agree- ment, known as CETA. CETA will mandate the removal of tariffs between Canada and the Eu- by John Bell placed on banks and financial institutions after accomplice in Trudeau’s game. After all, when ropean Union, allowing the Canadian market the 2014 financial crisis, and began to disman- it comes to topping Trump in style and states- to be further integrated with the European one. In the dreary year since his election, Justin tle the Affordable Care Act. He populated his manship, the bar is set mighty low. There was CETA, like all free trade deals, will benefit a Trudeau has seen the popularity of his govern- administration with homophobes, big business endless coverage and commentary about hand- tiny minority of capitalist elites, not the work- ment and his personal “brand” sink slowly but privatizers, anti-Semites and white-power shakes and hugs. Look, a leader who speaks ing people of Canada and Europe. A new report surely. advocates, and chose shameless liars as his in complete sentences; who cares what he’s in the International Journal of Political Econ- At first it was enough to say nice things, take spokespeople. saying. omy predicts that CETA will lead to the loss selfies and be not Stephen Harper. Then one by Polls suggest that Trump’s support is in de- So Trudeau used his self-declared “femi- of 207,000 jobs in Europe and some 23,000 one his happy promises were broken leaving no cline as the extremity and irrationality of his nist” credentials to score points by initiating in Canada. These job losses will drive down one happy. Well, maybe not no one. The Saudis administration becomes clearer. On this side of the “United States Canada Council for the wages in both Canada and Europe, causing the were happy with their tanks, and the pipeline the border he is viewed with fear and disgust– Advancement of Women Business Leaders– average Canadian to lose $2,460 per year in and tar sands companies were happy not to face with the exception of a handful to Tory leader- Female Entrepreneurs”. And Trump used the foregone earnings, say report authors Pierre new scrutiny of their developments. ship hopefuls. So Trudeau’s handlers reasoned, event to deflect charges of misogyny and sex- Kohler and Servaas Storm. The trade deal was Vows—electoral reform, legalization of probably correctly, that the Prime Minister ual abuse, and advance his daughter Ivanka. engineered by the Harper government, and is marijuana, rolling back C-51 (the Secret Police- would look positively majestic standing next to The roundtable was notable for its diversity, now championed by the Liberals. men’s Law), the promise to get fully informed Trump. not all of the women CEOs in attendance were The Conservatives invented CETA, but it consent from First Nations before economic blonde—at least one was a redhead. never occurred to them to defend it in the terms development on their territories—were tossed PET and Tricky Dick Justin Trudeau is now using. On the official aside like so many losing roll-up-the-rim Tim’s Pierre Trudeau was able to accomplish this in The 1% united website of the Prime Minister’s Office, CETA cups. Brief hope dashed, people were left with his time because he was trickier than Richard Behind closed door, the two got down to what is characterized as a “modern, progressive nothing but the same old shitty coffee. Nixon. In public, the two expressed dislike for really unites them: “We have built the world’s agreement”. Trudeau has claimed that CETA each other. In private, they laid the groundwork largest energy trading relationship. We share the will enhance international cooperation in “en- Fresh batch of words for the neo-liberal free-trade deals of today. goals of energy security, a robust and secure en- vironment and climate change, migration, and So Trudeau and his handlers decided it was time Thanks to Nixon’s penchant for taping all his ergy grid, and a strong and resilient energy in- peaceful pluralism”. to go out among the people with a fresh batch of meetings we know exactly what Trudeau the frastructure that contributes to energy efficiency His government has worked to associate words. Tie loosened, top button undone, sleeves elder had to say: “If you’re going to be pro- in both countries.” Whether the Keystone XL Donald Trump’s protectionism with his xeno- rolled up, Trudeau went on tour. Things did not tectionist, let’s be in it together. I am not a na- or the Kinder-Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, phobic attacks on Muslims, Hispanic Amer- go well. “Deeds, not words,” the people said. tionalist, I am not a protectionist – if you were both have committed to moving their climate icans, and other immigrants. Bundling these Some of them said it respectfully, some tearful- going to take a very protectionist trend, our killing petro-projects forward by any means together allows Trudeau to cover his support ly, some angrily. Some said it with a selfie. But whole economy is so importantly tied to yours, necessary. for economic globalization with a thin veneer they kept saying it. we’d have to make some very fundamental de- The other priority where they diverge in style of anti-racism. His betrayal of First Nations people and of cisions.” Nixon and Kissinger assured him that but not substance is militarism and national se- The false equation of anti-racism and eco- the environment kept him in the hot seat. He Canada was on the inside. curity: “We demonstrate daily that security and nomic globalization is dangerous, and we must explained again and again how pumping and Trudeau fils hoped negative power of Trump efficiency go hand-in-hand, and we are build- resist it. Free trade deals allow for the free piping more tar sands bitumen would save the would do for him what it was able to do for ing a 21st century border through initiatives movement of money, not people. Those of us environment and the economy, but the more NAFTA. The 24-year old trade deal has been such as pre-clearance of people and integrated who genuinely oppose racism and exclusivity often he said it the less sense it made. He ended a major factor in the decline of manufacturing cross-border law enforcement operations.” In must avoid being drawn in to defending the his tour more unpopular than when he began. jobs, and has made environmental regulations blunt language, this means empowering US law globe-plundering of a tiny capitalist elite. But Trudeau has one thing going for him: subservient to corporate profits. In a June poll enforcement to operate in Canada. Deals like CETA strengthen capitalists at the Donald Trump. only 25 per cent said NAFTA had benefitted the In words, Trudeau tries to separate himself expense of workers everywhere. Real multicul- economy. But in February, after Trump’s prom- from Trump. In deeds there isn’t much that turalism fights for open borders for people, not The Trump effect ises to scrap it, support for NAFTA surged to separates them. No doubt Trudeau would prefer for capital. We must not trust bourgeois politi- Unlike Trudeau, the one thing Trump cannot be 44 per cent. If Trump is against it we must be to be collaborating with a president who had a cians like Mr. Trudeau to lead the fight against accused of is breaking his campaign promises. for it, right? more conventional approach to the neo-liberal racism. Trudeau’s vision is one in which He has acted quickly to implement the Islam- Trudeau’s objective for his Washington visit austerity agenda, but he will do what he must migration is contingent on wealth, and money ophobic travel ban, then when the judiciary de- was to appear to resist Trump while protecting do to make do. flows freely while the movement of people clared his ban illegal he declared that the courts the corporate interests on both sides of the bor- Despite Trudeau’s reassurances, when Trump is brutally curtailed. As socialists, we must were a threat to national security. He scuttled der, which have thrived under NAFTA just as announces that the US and Canadian economies oppose both racist attacks on immigrants, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (his much as workers have suffered. are “completely and totally integrated”, we all economic globalization that lines the pockets only good decision), scrapped the regulations Superficial domestic media coverage was an have reason to worry. of the capitalist elite. Free people, not trade.

March 2017 Socialist Worker 3 THE RADICAL ROOTS OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY Build the power to fight and win

Bold action is needed to confront untrammeled capitalism. iticians and companies, striking in educational institutions.” Thousands of women struck mill owners in Lowell and Lawrence, Mass. in 1912. Resisting Trump by Carolyn Egan mosque, passersby stopped and stood in And as has been amply demonstrated, since solidarity with the Muslim community that the election of Trump and before, women and Washington, DC is still reverberating from had come to pray. others are more and more willing to take up the the Women’s March that took place on International Women’s Day (IWD) which bold action that is needed to confront the mon- January 21, 2017. It was an extraordinary has long been a highlight of progressive sters that 40 years of neoliberalism and untram- event on inauguration weekend, and one politics in Toronto has chosen a timely meled capitalism have brought us. of the largest demonstrations in decades. theme this year: STOP THE HATE – UNITE Tens of thousands took part in A Day Without The mobilization was part of building a THE FIGHT – BUILD THE RESISTANCE Immigrants strikes and protests across the US mass movement against the policies of – UNITY IS POWER. This is meant to con- on February 17. People marched in Charlotte, Donald Trump and the interests he rep- tinue and broaden the fightback against Austin, Chicago and Detroit. Some schools resents. Rallies and protests at airports, the politics of division and hate that we were shut down in Los Angeles. on campuses, and in the streets of cities are seeing worldwide. This is a call for Women’s March on Washington on January 21, 2017. Photo: Kevin Taghabon Black Lives Matter at the 2017 Toronto The thousands who flooded airports protest- and towns across the US have been all progressive people to come out and Pride March. Photo: Uranranebi Agbeyegbe ing Trump’s racist ban on Muslims, the high almost daily occurrences. concretely show that the forces that are by Faline Bobier could not be more timely, given the election of us from each other, to turn to self-blame or school students who came out after his election that ignited the Russian Revolution. A group In Canada, and around the world, there trying to intimidate the Muslim community, Trump, the alarming rise of racist incidents both blaming the “other”, whether that be women, to proclaim “Not my president” and “Refugees of women textile workers in St. Petersburg had were marches in solidarity denouncing the and all others that are being targeted by After the huge turnout for the Women’s Marches in the US and here, and the threat of our own ‘Stop the hate! Blacks, the poor, people with disabilities, for are welcome here”, the ordinary Americans asked the Bolshevik central committee what to attacks that every oppressed minority in the politics of reaction, have no support in on January 21, in the US and internationally, and home-grown racists inside the Tory Party. the faults of a system that places profit for the who have been holding their representatives to do on that day. They were told not to strike and the United States was being subjected to. this city. in response to the election of the misogynist and few above all else, namely decent healthcare account at town hall meetings where they are to await instructions. Millions mobilized saying no to Islamopho- In the early 20th century in New York racist Donald Trump, eight prominent feminist Working class feminism Unite the and reproductive rights, living wages and dig- demanding politicians stand up to the racism But when no instructions came the women bia, anti-Black racism, attacks on undocu- City, immigrant women garment workers scholars and activists in the US have called for The call to action in the US is a direct challenge nity at work, the freedom to love when and and sexism of the bigot who is now the leader of took matters into their own hands and took to mented peoples and the misogyny which walked off the job for decent wages and a women’s strike on March 8, International to the so-called “lean-in” feminism best rep- whom we choose. their country – all of these struggles and more the streets. Soon thousands were leaving the has been a mark of the Trump administra- working conditions, demanding that they Women’s Day (IWD). resented by Democratic presidential nominee fight! Build the speak to the willingness among broad swathes factories and the bread lines, filling the city tion. The executive orders have been fast be treated with the respect that they In doing so they were inspired by recent Hillary Clinton. The term comes from a 2013 #BeBoldforChange of the population to take bold action. with banners demanding “Bread—our children and furious. deserve. events in Poland where women went on a one- book called Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will Some are denigrating the call for a women’s And it is often women—in Black Lives Mat- are starving!” One of the hallmarks of the demonstra- In 1910, a socialist women’s conference day strike against the proposed abortion ban in to Lead, written by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief resistance!’ strike on March 8, arguing that it’s not “realis- ter, in the Fight for 15, in the organizing to de- They were eventually joined by other women, tion that took place on the January 21 in in Copenhagen declared International Wom- that country, as well as women’s marches and operating officer of Facebook, and Nell Scovell, tic” and that not all women will be in a position fend choice and reproductive rights—who are by male workers, peasants and soldiers. Only a Toronto was the emphasis on the situation en’s Day in recognition of their fight. A few strikes in South Korea, Ireland and Latin Amer- TV and magazine writer. to refuse to work on that day. That may well be at the forefront of these struggles. week after these events the Tsar, Russia’s ab- we are facing here. The horror of the mur- years later, thousands of women speaking ica to defend women’s reproductive rights and This lean-in feminism is available only to true. We do not all have the ability to refuse to 2017 is shaping up to be the year to take on solute monarch, abdicated. This moment led to ders at the mosque in Quebec City showed twenty-two different languages struck to protest violence against women. wealthy women, whose fight for equality is work without risking our jobs and our ability to Trump, both inside the US and internationally, the taking of power by the whole of the Russian clearly that we are up against those same against mill owners in Lawrence and Lowell, The March 8 action is supported by close for an equality with their male counterparts in feed ourselves and our children. as well as challenging other manifestations of working class in October of that year. forces. Bigotry knows no borders, and Massachusetts, fighting for union recogni- to 30 other feminist organizations around the the corporate world, leaving most of the rest However, in these times we need a bold fem- the same sickness: the Kelly Leitchs, Marine It’s in that spirit that we should celebrate and politicians such as Leitch and O’Leary tion. With strong solidarity from the broader world. The prime goal of the day in the US, of us, both men and women, at the bottom of inism, as in the slogan this year for international LePens and other world leaders who are turning organize for IWD this year. Women in Tsarist are fanning the flames – setting people working class, they won that fight which called Day Without a Woman, is to create “a society. It espouses the same ideology as that IWD actions: #BeBoldforChange. The call for to racism, sexism, Islamophobia and homopho- Russia were among the most down-trodden and against each other, emulating the politics has been commemorated in the women’s grassroots, anti-capitalist feminism—a femi- of the so-called American Dream. If you’re not the March 8 action deliberately includes a vari- bia to divide and conquer the 99%. oppressed but by taking collective action they of the Republicans south of the border. movement anthem “Bread and Roses”. nism in solidarity with working women, their wealthy, if you’re not able to lift yourself out of ety of tactics since not all of us will be in a po- inspired not only themselves, but also other sec- The National Front in France, the Golden There has been a long history of the families and their allies throughout the world.” a situation of poverty wages, bad housing, and sition to withdraw our labour. It is an inclusive Women’s resistance: 1917 to 2017 tions of the oppressed within Russian society. Dawn in Greece, the United Kingdom women’s movement fighting back against lack of access to education, then it’s your fault. call: “The idea is to mobilize women, including 2017 is also the 100th anniversary of the Rus- As the organizers of this year’s Women’s Independence Party (UKIP) are all part of bigotry and misogyny. We are seeing those Toronto International Women’s Day You’re not trying hard enough. It has nothing to trans women, and all who support them in an sian Revolution. We can and should look to the March wrote in their call for a Day Without a this same phenomenon. We have seen attacks today, and it is critically important In Toronto, where the IWD March has tradition- do with systemic sexism, racism, discrimination international day of struggle—a day of strik- incredible struggles of that period for inspira- Woman, “We saw what happened when mil- fire bombings and protests at mosques in that we build the unity that is so critical to ally been one of the largest in North America, and everything to do with individual drive and ing, marching, blocking roads, bridges, and tion in the fight today. lions of us stood together in January, and now Ontario. At the same time, in downtown a resistance that has the collective power the themes for this year’s march are “Stop the determination. squares, abstaining from domestic, care and sex It was a celebration of International Wom- we know that our army of love greatly outnum- Toronto as bigots chanted outside a local to fight back and win. hate! Unite the fight! Build the resistance!” This Of course, this mythology aims to divide work, boycotting, calling out misogynistic pol- en’s Day in February 1917 that was the spark bers the army of fear, greed and hatred.”

4 Socialist Worker March 2017 March 2017 Socialist Worker 5 Where we stand The dead-end of capitalism Who is Frederick Douglass? The capitalist system is based on violence, oppression and brutal exploitation. It creates hunger beside plenty, it threatens our sustenance through unsafe and unsustainable farming, and kills the earth itself with by Brian Champ to teach himself to read and write, in- inspired to join, many by a Douglass pollution and unsustainable extraction of oil, minerals, animals, trees, cluding engaging the local neighbour- article or speech. He travelled around and water. Capitalism leads to imperialism and war. Saving ourselves The period since Donald Trump took hood school boys as tutors. the north delivering speeches and pub- and the planet depends on finding an alternative. office has been accompanied by a dra- Later he ended up in a horrible sit- lished articles exhorting men of colour matic increase in hate crimes across the uation with an owner determined to to fight to secure their freedom, and that A system that is killing the planet board. The connection to the far right crush his will. In September 1838, they were the most effective fighters Capitalist profits depend on extracting the world’s blood and bone. The through Steve Bannon is very worry- when he was 20-21 years old, he fled against slavery. devastating impact of capital’s assault on the planet affect the world’s ing, as is the reluctance of Trump to to freedom in New York City where he An article called “Men of Color to most vulnerable populations and threaten the long-term meaningful denounce racist attacks. But the pres- first encountered the abolitionist paper, Arms”, published in March of 1863 existence of humanity. Capitalism cannot regulate the catastrophic sure on the president to at least pay lip The Liberator, edited by William Lloyd made the case for action: effects of climate change. We stand for climate justice, including the service to fighting racism has also pro- Garrison. He subscribed and became “[W]ith every reverse to the national concept of “just transition” for affected workers. duced some bizarre moments. involved in abolitionist activities, and arms, with every exulting shout of vic- To mark Black History Month, by the early 1840s had become an influ- tory raised by the slaveholding rebels, I Socialism and workers’ power Trump held a “little breakfast” media ential and inspiring speaker. have implored the imperiled nation to Any alternative to capitalism must involve replacing the system from the event where he delivered a speech unchain against her foes, her powerful bottom up through radical collective action. Central to that struggle is the which revealed the President’s igno- black hand. Slowly and reluctantly that workplace, where capitalism reaps its profits off our backs. rance about the history of the struggle appeal is beginning to be heeded. Stop Capitalist monopolies control the earth’s resources, but workers for black liberation in America. not now to complain that it was not everywhere actually create the wealth. A new socialist society can only Name dropping Dr. King, Rosa heeded sooner. … This is not the time be constructed when workers collectively seize control of that wealth Parks, Harriet Tubman and Frederick to discuss that question. Leave it to the and plan its production and distribution to satisfy human needs, not Douglass, nowhere did Trump men- future. When the war is over, the coun- corporate profits—to respect the environment, not pollute and destroy it. tion the history of slavery or show any try is saved, peace is established, and knowledge of what their struggles were the black man’s rights are secured, as Oppression and, weirdly, commented that “Freder- they will be, history with an impartial Within capitalist society different groups suffer from specific forms of ick Douglass is an example of some- hand will dispose of that and sundry oppression. Attacks on oppressed groups are used to divide workers body who’s done an amazing job and other questions. and weaken solidarity. We oppose racism and imperialism. We oppose is being recognized more and more, I “Action! Action! not criticism, is all immigration controls. We support the right of people of colour and noticed.” the plain duty of this hour. Words are other oppressed groups to organize in their own defence. We are for real, Neither he nor press secretary Sean now useful only as they stimulate to social, economic and political equality for women. We are for an end Spicer seemed to be aware that Doug- Frederick Douglass blows. The office of speech now is only to all forms of discrimination and homophobia against lesbians, gays, lass died over 120 years ago. to point out when, where, and how to bisexuals and transgender people. strike to the best advantage. There is We oppose environmental racism. We oppose discrimination on the A monumental figure Abolitionist no time to delay. The tide is at its flood basis of religion, ability and age. The importance of Frederick Doug- Afraid of being recaptured, Douglass that leads on to fortune. From East to lass’s leadership in the movement to moved to the UK for two years, deliv- West, from North to South, the sky is Canada, Quebec, Indigenous Peoples abolish slavery cannot be overstated. ering anti-slavery speeches to great ac- written all over, ‘Now or never. Liberty Canada is not a “colony” of the United States, but an imperialist country Born into slavery, he escaped to the claim. Supporters in Britain raised 150 won by white men would lose half its in its own right that participates in the exploitation of much of the world. north to become a leader of the aboli- pounds sterling so that Douglass could luster. ‘Who would be free themselves The Canadian state was founded through the repression of Indigenous tionist movement. buy his freedom and on December 12, must strike the blow.’ ‘Better even die peoples and the people of Quebec. He was well known for his fiery or- 1846 he became a free man. free, than to live slaves.’ This is the We support the struggles for self-determination of Quebec and atory in the cause of liberation and so- He began publishing his own paper, sentiment of every brave colored man Indigenous peoples up to and including the right to independence. In cial justice and argued powerfully that The North Star, in Rochester, New amongst us.” particular, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ original and primary right slavery could not be defeated by moral York and became influenced by John This remarkable man never stopped to decide their fate and that of their lands, heritage, and traditions. force alone but would require physical Brown and his insistence that slavery fighting in the service of human libera- Socialists in Quebec, and in all oppressed nations, work to give the force to defeat the plantation owners. cannot be ended without violence. This tion until his death in 1895, remaining struggle against national oppression an internationalist and working He famously argued: “Power concedes became a point of division between him a staunch defender of the gains won in class content. nothing without a demand. It never did and William Lloyd Garrison, who saw the civil war and fighting against Jim and it never will.” the struggle as a moral one to embarrass Crow in the last years of his life. Internationalism During the Civil War, he recruited slaveholders into renouncing slavery. And now, over 120 years after his The struggle for socialism is part of a worldwide struggle. We campaign escaped slaves into the union army. He He attended the first Women’s Rights death, his spirit lives in the rising move- for solidarity with workers in other countries. We oppose everything that was at the same time a powerful critic Convention at Seneca Falls, New York ments that are resisting the far right that turns workers from one country against those from other countries. We of Lincoln’s half-hearted early prosecu- and remained a fighter for women’s have been encouraged by Trump’s rac- support all genuine national liberation movements. tion of the war. At one point, he made voting rights throughout his life. ist, misogynistic agenda. The 1917 revolution in Russia was an inspiration for the oppressed clear his intention to stop recruiting for- His spirit lives on in Black Lives everywhere. But it was defeated when workers’ revolutions elsewhere mer slaves to fight for the union army, Underground Railroad Matter, drawing attention to the tar- were defeated. A Stalinist counter-revolution, which killed millions, and President Lincoln thought it was He helped many fugitive slaves escape geting and killing of black men by created a new form of capitalist exploitation based on state ownership important enough to meet with him and through the northern US to Canada police across the US. His spirit lives and control. In Eastern Europe, China and other countries, a similar hear his council about the fight to end as a participator in the Underground on with the millions who participated system was later established by Stalinist, not socialist, parties. We slavery. Railroad. in the women’s march to affirm a dif- support the struggle of workers in these countries against both private and state capitalism. Born a slave in the Maryland coun- But probably the most important role ferent America from that represented tryside in 1817-18, he was separated that Douglass played from a revolution- by Trump and his cronies. We need to from his mother shortly after his birth, ary standpoint was as a recruiter of ex- follow the example of Douglass, and Elections and democracy which was one of the inhumane prac- slaves to fight for their freedom in the forge a path to liberation with vigorous Elections can be an opportunity to give voice to the struggle for social tices that was common at the time. He union army. Hundreds of thousands of resistance: “Action! Action! ... There is change. But under capitalism, they can’t change the system. The used whatever resources were available highly motivated freedom fighters were no time to delay.” structures of the present parliament, army, police and judiciary protect the ruling class against the workers. These structures cannot be simply taken over and used by the working class. The working class needs Name: real democracy, and that requires an entirely different kind of state—a Never miss workers’ state based upon councils of workers’ delegates. an issue. Address: Reform and revolution Mail in this form with a cheque Phone: Every day, there are battles between exploiter and exploited, oppressor or money order made payable to and oppressed, to reform the system—to improve living conditions. “Socialist Worker”. E-mail: These struggles are crucial in the fight for a new world. To further these Prices per year (CAD dollars): struggles, we work within the trade unions and orient to building a rank Regular subscription: $30 Mail to: Socialist Worker, PO Box 339 and file movement that strengthens workers’ unity and solidarity. Institutions, First Class But the fight for reforms will not, in itself, bring about fundamental Station E, Toronto, ON Canada, M6H 4E3 delivery and U.S.: $50 Phone: 416.972.6391 / E-mail: [email protected] social change. The present system cannot be fixed or reformed as the Other international: $60 NDP and many trade union leaders say. Nor can the system regulate itself to prevent environmental destruction and climate injustice. It has to be overthrown. That will require the mass action of workers themselves. Join the International Socialists The revolutionary party To achieve socialism the leading activists in the working class have to be Name: City: organized into a revolutionary socialist party. The party must be a party of action, and it must be democratic. We are an organization of activists Address: committed to helping in the construction of such a party through ongoing activity in the mass organizations of the working class and in the daily E-mail: Phone: struggles of workers and the oppressed. If these ideas make sense to you, help us in this project, and join the Mail to: International Socialists, PO Box 339, Station E, Toronto, ON Canada, M6H 4E3 International Socialists. Phone: 416.972.6391 / E-mail: [email protected]

6 Socialist Worker March 2017 REVIEWS Review of The Founder Fast-food Manifest Destiny

by Aaron S. Bayley their customers and putting a human face to their business, Kroc, bedaz- One of the great ironies of director zled by a photograph in the brothers’ John Lee Hancock’s The Founder, office of a McDonald’s restaurant about the founding of McDon- with golden arches, dreams of the ald’s restaurant, is the portrayal of Golden Arches as the quintessential Toronto Disability Pride March brothers Dick and Mac McDonald all-American brand icon. as guardians of integrity resisting Soon Kroc is selling powdered the crass commercialism symbolized milkshakes without the brothers’ by businessman Ray Kroc, played consent, lying about his role in the Trudeau’s accessible masterfully by Michael Keaton. company and comparing hearts The Founder, which opened to contracts (“They’re made to be earlier this month, tells the story broken.”). In a chilling scene where Canada includes of how Kroc went from a likeable the relationship between the three loser hawking milkshake mixers has deteriorated past the point of rec- to jukebox diners in small-town onciliation and the brothers threaten unpaid work 1950s America, to becoming the litigation, Kroc scoffs, “I’m national. face of perhaps the most iconic You’re fucking local.” American brand to date. But it’s also a metaphor for the American Fast-food manifest destiny by Melissa Graham Dream (though the film isn’t quite And yet, as Kroc morphs from sure whether that dream is myth or handled with care. Kroc, on the other a likeable loser with a pocketful Back in 2015, before the Canadian federal election, a movement reality). One thing that’s certain, hand, has visions of monopoly and of payphone coins to a ruthless, of disabled people was building across the country. The call for however, is that despite the deliber- corporation dancing in his head, and backstabbing capitalist, The Founder a barrier-free Canada was built in that time by a small, dedicated ate dichotomy between the broth- pleads with the reluctant brothers to both vilifies and deifies him. As group of people who reinforced their message daily through social ers McDonald and Kroc, the film franchise their business. he sticks thumbtacks on a map of media and on the ground action. Their methods were so effective, endorses only a tepid condemnation When it comes to production, America like a colonist searching for that what began as a grassroots call for national solidarity grew of capitalist exploitation. the McDonalds are content selling new land to exploit, it seems the per- into a campaign promise by Trudeau. In his book Throwing Rocks At the their fifteen-cent hamburgers at their fect picture of imperialist expansion: What was mandated was more conversation, in the form of Google Bus, a critique of the modern flagship store in San Bernardino, fast-food manifest destiny. Keaton a seven month long cross-country consultation process with digital economy, Douglass Rushkoff California, where they can oversee plays an arched-eyebrow villain Canadians with disabilities. Consultations like these are a favoured contrasts the values of peer-to-peer the process and guarantee quality who is celebrated for his visionary trend in the current federal government. Perhaps this is because artisanal economics with those of and quick service. Keaton’s Kroc, concept and system. The McDon- they act as public evidence of some kind of action, regardless of industrial economics. This contrast transfixed by the assembly line ald brothers come across as naïve how effective it is. is embodied by the McDonald efficiency of the McDonald’s kitchen simpletons who got hoodwinked— As expected, these events were heavily managed, giving the brothers and Kroc, respectively. and obsessed with the potential prof- outhustled by a fast-talking huckster appearance of consent rather than providing opportunities for For instance, Ray and Mac, played its of mass production, hastily opens lacking a moral compass, but shrewd consensus and moving forward. At the public consultations, sympathetically by Nick Offerman stores in Detroit, Chicago, Minne- enough to understand that in Amer- participants given time to speak were restricted to a two-minute and John Carrol Lynch, are honest sota, and soon across the country, ica, wealth is built on the extraction limit, a method that was inaccessible for many participants. There and resourceful, treating the family quality control be damned. Where of value. was the impression that the people who spoke were expected to business like a fragile egg to be the brothers aim toward pleasing Sound familiar? be grateful for the opportunity to share their perspective, even when it’s only taken in limited amounts. Review of I Am Not Your Negro There were impressions that a lot of what was being said was being filtered out, and reframed to fit an agenda. Any comments referring to issues of discrimination in immigration, affordable housing, poverty, or anything involving active redistribution was A nation of moral monsters notably left out. There was some potential raised for amending some existing regulations, but little else. The focus was clearly by Michelle Robidoux that today, as then, produces what centered on employment, while carefully avoiding much of what Baldwin calls “a nation of moral keeps most disabled people in poverty. This powerful documentary, directed monsters”. As confirmed by a volunteer, this was a pattern across the by Raoul Peck, is a remarkable One of the film’s outstanding country, but what was more surprising was the treatment of and devastating examination of the achievements is that throughout, the volunteers themselves. Disabled people were brought in as struggle for Black liberation in the Baldwin alone speaks – directly volunteers to act as champions, panels and facilitators, and United States. or through the voice of Samuel L. provide unpaid consultation. According to one such volunteer, The spine of the film is an Jackson. As Peck told the CBC, “I what was expected of them could have amounted to a part-time unfinished manuscript by the great almost had to invent a new form of job over a period of four months, including training, preparation and African-American writer James filmmaking, of documentary to tell debriefing, all without paid compensation. Many people became Baldwin, titled Remember This a story solely and uniquely through reluctant to continue. Some of these volunteers continue to be House. The 30 page text brings Baldwin’s words.” contacted for ongoing unpaid sharing of their knowledge and together three giants of the struggle Baldwin’s rich and profound prose expertise. for Black liberation – Medgar Evers, rips away the pretense of ‘progress’ This is a significant problem, and one that many disabled Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. to reveal the ugly truth of a society people are familiar with: recognition of expertise without status These three very different men – all founded on slavery and colonization. or compensation. Volunteers were put in a position of either of them murdered before the age of This truth rings out long after the feeling exploited or declining their knowledge, while government 40 – “took on the crimes and lies of film ends. representatives proclaimed the need for more jobs for disabled a nation”. As Peck told Rolling Stone, “Each people within the consultations. The film recounts Baldwin’s moment in the film, you turn the Instead of reaching out to offer paid work to disabled people, encounter with each of these men, mirror to yourself... it’s impossible they paid consulting firms to find disabled people to consult with. and with the events that shaped – and it was time I went home and not to be totally involved and to They are doing market research rather than accepting the expertise and were shaped by – them. In 1957, paid mine,” he says. question your own thoughts and of disabled people in designing policies or programs. Baldwin was living in France. He The film blends footage of prejudice. You are confronted by If the Trudeau government wanted to take a stand on something recalls seeing the image of 15-year Baldwin speaking, images of who you are and what you are in more effective for disabled people, they might start by taking a old Dorothy Counts, attempting key moments of the Civil Rights your society.” lead and offering meaningful skilled employment, but no one is to integrate a whites-only school struggle, the names Trayvon Martin, James Baldwin died in 1987, at calling them out. in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Tamir Rice, Amir Brooks and age 63. This film brings his ideas If we want to see real change, we need to go back to where “history jeering at her back”. Aiyana Stanley-Jones, and footage and his clarity to new generations we started, back to the grassroots approach, and hold our This young black woman, of the 2014 uprising in Ferguson, confronting the “sinister results of representatives accountable for their ableist biases and charity surrounded by a seething white Missouri. racism”. Go see it right away, it is model approach to accessibility. The consultations closed on mob, prompted his return to the U.S. This film is not about history. It a weapon in our struggle against an February 28th, but the notes will be made public. It’s on us to “Everybody was paying their dues, is a scorching critique of a system inhuman system. make them count.

March 2017 Socialist Worker 7 $2 | No 590 | March 2017 | socialist.ca Tell Trudeau: let the refugees in by Bradley Hughes

Trump’s racist travel ban was challenged in the airports, in the streets, and in the courts. In Canada, people across the country have taken to the streets to show solidarity with Muslims in Canada after the terror attack on a mosque in Quebec, and to protest the racism of Trump and his like that inspire such attacks. Trump’s racist travel ban, issued on Jan- uary 27, bans people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and all ref- ugees from entering the United States. It was eventually overturned by US courts. Since then, Trump has announced he will issue a new travel ban. Despite this opposition to Trump and his racism, Prime Minister Trudeau has done nothing. Despite letter writing campaigns, petitions and other pleas from tens of thou- sands, the he has steadfastly refused to take action. While Trudeau is often accused of leading with words instead of action, he even failed at this: when asked about the travel ban while he stood next to Trump during his visit to the US, he claimed “the last thing Ca- nadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they chose Thousands protested against Trump’s Muslim ban in Toronto. Photo: Gustavo Monteiro to govern themselves.” He effectively sided with Trump against the movement in solidar- Canada and around the world who are target- agreement means that refugees in the US will we are accepting from the countries targeted ity with refugees. ed by Trump’s racism. It would also show be turned away if they try to cross the border by Trump. As the majority of these are coun- solidarity with the protesters in the US. legally. So of course, refugees are hiking for tries that Canada has invaded and/or bombed Words and actions Our government could also end the Can- hours in sub-zero temperatures to cross the alongside the US in recent history, helping There are a number of things Trudeau could ada-US Safe Third Country Agreement that border outside of the border crossing. Will it to cause the current refugee crisis, Trudeau do, if he opposes Trump’s actions and wants was put in place by the Harper government to take deaths in the snow before Trudeau opens could also end Canada’s participation in the to help those effected by the ban. First and prevent refugees who arrived in the US from our borders to refugees who cannot find sanc- wars that drive people from their homes. foremost, he could publicly denounce Trump. continuing on to Canada. If the US was ever tuary in the US? There are many things Trudeau could say This would show solidarity with Muslims in safe for refugees, it certainly isn’t now. This Trudeau could raise the number of refugees and do. Or he could just tweet about it. Support grows for university food service workers by Kevin Taghabon told that they’re not allowed to sit together back to his office.” Toronto Scarborough campus in delivering during break because they are too loud.” Various workers have said the strikes are 5,000 signed petitions to Queen’s Park, calling On February 17, York University food service The low wages are not related to seniori- going over well and the attitude from students on the universities and government to support workers in UNITE HERE local 75 went on ty. One woman who has been employed by and staff is one of support. Alec, a young decent work. strike to protest unfair wages and working Aramark for 28 years is making just over $14 recent hire working at an Aramark-con- “It’s outrageous that any worker on a conditions. The food service jobs at York Uni- an hour. tracted coffee shop told me about university campus should be making versity are contracted out by the administration Aramark’s profits have reached over $90 mil- his experiences at another Aramark $11.50 an hour, and hiding behind to Aramark, a private corporation. lion a year. However, they have not yet met the strike: “Definitely positive. Excit- a subcontractor is no excuse,” said workers’ demands for a $15 an hour minimum ing… Everything was collaborative UNITE HERE 75 president Lis Racism and harassment wage, paid sick time, a safe and healthy work- and it was fun… it was my first strike Pimentel. Joanna, one of the workers on strike outside place, and an end to racism and Islamophobia. and it was a good experience.” the Keele Street entrance to York University, Aramark did seem to find money in their bud- The York Faculty Association has Show your support said: “We need to fight for fairness. We need gets to pay four people to sit in their vehicles endorsed the campaign as well. At the Visit the site http://york15.ca and send respect, and a stop to the racism on campus. all day surveilling workers during the strike. picket line on the 17th Joanna sim- a direct message to President Shoukri. We’ve heard certain managers say they don’t When asked what his role was, one of these ilarly described “overwhelming” The text includes a call to recognize and want Black workers, and that no Muslims can four individuals said, “I don’t know… I know, support on campus from students respect the food service workers get promoted. I don’t think that’s fair. We’re all but I’m not supposed to discuss it.” Another coming out and cheering them that help the University commu- human.” said, “I’m not in charge of safety but I’m on in the cold at an earlier strike. nity function: “All of us meet and These complaints echo the words of another covering it with video just in case something Joanna had brought her young interact with food service workers Aramark employee and organizer, Melissa, at a happens, you might have a car that goes daughter, perhaps six years old, to every single day: they prepare our Fight for 15 and Fairness meeting weeks earli- through the crowd… I work for a company join her at the strike as there was meals, they serve us coffee, they er: “There’s instances that managers go around that’s subcontracted… we’re a PR company.” no school. Her daughter happily keep the food courts running saying, ‘we’re going to stop hiring black peo- York University President Shoukri has carried a megaphone and led smoothly. Their hard work ple.’ Telling workers, one worker in particular dodged attempts to meet with him. Melissa energetic “mighty, mighty union” makes it possible for literally who applied for a promotion, that she was not said that when a delegation of students and songs on the picket line. tens of thousands of students, going to get that promotion because she’s Mus- workers together went to his offices, “he never On February 21, striking staff and faculty to spend long lim. Workers being discriminated against when showed up. He knew we were coming, his cafeteria workers from York days on campus—to study, to learn, they’re pregnant. Certain Black workers being people called him and then he just never came joined those from University of to teach and to work.”