Dear Progressive Reader,
The Academy Award-nominated 1979 documentary film The War At Home is more than just a portrait of a moment in history. The film premiered on October 12, 1979 in Madison, Wisconsin, and chronicles the history of the anti-Vietnam War movement through the lens of one Midwestern city. But much more than that, it documents the growth and development of the tools and techniques of activism as told by the participants themselves in archival footage and interviews. Now the film has been digitally restored and will show for one night only at Madison’s Orpheum Theater on Sunday October 13 at 6 pm.
“The theme of the reviews was that The War at Home is back, and it feels like it was made for this political moment. . . . my goal really always was to get this film to young people today,” said the film’s co-director Glenn Silber in a recent podcast produced by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The Madison 40th anniversary screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the lessons and legacy of the antiwar movement, titled “The War At Home—then and now.” The discussion will be moderated by journalist John Nichols, and will feature activists from the GI peace movement; local opposition to the F-35 nuclear war planes; and 350Madison, a group working on the pressing need to address climate change. As filmmaker Glenn Silber has said, “The climate crisis is the new war at home.”
The techniques and tactics of resistance, pioneered by the labor movement, the civil rights movement, and the anti-war movement are coming back into regular use in the era of Donald Trump. As Sarah Jaffee notes this week in her report on the United Auto Workers strike against General Motors: “The Trump era brought back the mass march, alongside more disruptive actions like the airport protests in response to the Muslim ban. But the strike, long considered gone, is creeping back into favor.” The historical continuity is also important to a new generation of climate activists. Jaffee quotes one high school senior and Climate Strike activist who said, “It’s important for us to think about our history and the history of worker movements, and us calling it a ‘strike’ does that.” As Jaffee concludes, “the UAW’s members are reminding us all of what the Chicago teachers knew and the climate strike teens are learning: it is the people acting together who are the union, and solidarity is what it will take to win.”
Other stories of organizing this week on our website include Michelle Chen’s report on California home-based childcare workers winning the right to organize; Teresa Albano’s portrait of Chicago religious and community activists pushing back against anti-immigrant hatred; and Sarah Lahm’s story of college students organizing (from overseas) a “no-show” protest of Trump’s recent visit to Minneapolis.
Keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.
Sincerely,
Norman Stockwell
Publisher
P.S. – Your donations are more important than ever to sustain this progressive voice. The Progressive is a non-profit, allowing us to be unfettered by corporate interests. One way to support our work is to become a sustainer with a monthly donation of $5 or more. These small, regular amounts make a big difference in our ability to survive and thrive. Thank you. |
|
|
|
|
|
