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Dear Progressive Reader,

In last week’s newsletter, I noted that April 9 was the anniversary of the birth of Paul Robeson ([link removed]) . Yesterday was also the anniversary of a unique and somewhat forgotten event in history – the “folk riot” (also called ([link removed]) in the press of the day “the beatnik riot”) in New York City on April 9, 1961. Izzy Young, at that time director of the Folklore Center on McDougal Street in Greenwich Village, had applied for a permit to play music (unamplified) in Washington Square Park. When the permit was denied by the Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Young organized a protest. “"It wasn't run by any political party," Young remembered in 2011 ([link removed]) . "It was run by the idea I . . . and others [had] that people had a right to sing. So it's a
peaceful demonstration asking for our rights." The police responded ([link removed]) with billy clubs and paddy wagons. The melee was captured on film ([link removed]) by young documentarian Dan Drasin, who, on the event’s fiftieth anniversary, recalled ([link removed]) , “It was certainly representative of the era to come, when the people confronted established authority and started holding them accountable. It would've been unthinkable in the 1950s. But this was the beginning of the 1960s." Tragically, on the same day fifteen years after the folk riot, 1960s protest singer Phil Ochs took his own life ([link removed]) , ending a legendary career ([link removed]) of socially
committed music and activism.

Sadly, this week longtime contributor to The Progressive and committed activist and journalist Reese Erlich passed away following a six-month battle with cancer. Erlich’s last column ([link removed]) for The Progressive was published March 26, and we posted a tribute ([link removed]) to his life and legacy on our website yesterday.

Reporting on the struggle by Amazon workers unionize their plant in Bessemer, Alabama, Frank Emspak notes that in spite of the apparent electoral defeat ([link removed]) , this union campaign was just the beginning of a long struggle. “A look back at the successful industry-wide union campaigns of U.S. history shows that, rather than officially sanctioned elections, sit-down strikes more often resulted in companies recognizing a union,” he writes ([link removed]) . Also this week, Audrey Farley examines ([link removed]) the Republican opposition to support for Black farmers proposed by the Biden Administration. And Taylor Griggs looks at ([link removed]) the real scandal in access to college admissions.

As the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd continues in Minneapolis, Sarah Lahm reports ([link removed]) on the apparent crack in the “blue wall” and what it might mean for efforts at police reform. Robert Davis chronicles ([link removed]) a Colorado bill that would “require local law enforcement agencies to notify district attorneys of any internal investigations against officers alleged to have made untruthful statements; demonstrated a pattern of bias against a protected class; committed a crime involving dishonesty, violated someone’s constitutional rights; or tampered with evidence.” And Christopher Blackwell writes from inside a prison in Washington State on the ways the pandemic is being used to further restrict the lives of inmates in his facility. “COVID-19 has given prison authorities a free pass to oppress, abuse, and over-police prisoners, and
it needs to stop,” he says ([link removed]) . “We need to vaccinate prisoners and restore their rights. It’s not too late to bring reality and basic human rights back into the picture.”

Last night we hosted a virtual live book event ([link removed]) with author Victoria Law on her new book, “Prisons Make Us Safer” and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration. Law was interviewed by Progressive editor Bill Lueders, who also reviewed ([link removed]) the book in our current issue. You can still get a copy of the book with a donation ([link removed]) to The Progressive of $50 or more. On April 15, we will host another book event with author Chuck Collins and his new book The Wealth Hoarders. Please plan to join us.

Keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.

Sincerely,
Norman Stockwell
Publisher

P.S. – Our new April/May issue just went to press and should arrive in the mail in a week or so. If you don’t already subscribe to The Progressive in print or digital form, please consider doing so today ([link removed]) . Also, if you have a friend or relative that you feel should hear from the many voices for progressive change within our pages, please consider giving a gift subscription ([link removed]) .

P.P.P.S. –We need you now more than ever. Please take a moment to support hard-hitting, independent reporting on issues that matter to you. Your donation today will keep us on solid ground and will help us continue to grow in the coming years. You can use the wallet envelope in the current issue of the magazine, or click on the “Donate” button below to join your fellow progressives in sustaining The Progressive as a voice for peace, social justice, and the common good.
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