Information is power. Our mission at Portside is to seek out and to provide information that empowers you -- that empowers the left. Every day we search hundreds of sources to connect you with the most interesting, striking and useful material. Just once a year we appeal to you to contribute to make it possible to continue this work. Please help.

 

‘The Hill We Climb’: Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration Poem

Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first youth poet laureate, captivated the hearts of Americans and likely anyone else who was listening to her deliver the Inauguration poem on Wednesday. The 22-year-old became the nation’s youngest inaugural poet.

Progressives Urge Biden to Abandon GOP Outreach

"A Republican minority shouldn't be allowed to hold the nation's economic recovery and public health hostage."

Fascism is Not an Idea to Be Debated

Written two years ago, over the controversy created by inviting Steven Bannon to "discuss fascism" at a public forum, the conclusions of this article are relevant for today, with the coup of January 6 and the pardon of Bannon by Donald Trump.

Need for a Pandemic Pivot

It’s urgent not to return to the previous status quo. It’s time for creative thinking and bold action. This is a time for a true pandemic pivot.

Jan. 21, 2021-Reader Comments, Resources, Announcements

Reader Comments: He's Gone, Trump is GOP Past, Present and Future; 'Tax the Rich' to Raise State Revenue; DC Statehood; Trump as Citizen Kane; Rosenberg Children; Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land'; Student Activist Scholarship Applications;

What Will Biden Do to Protect the Performing Arts?

Yes, a bailout is in order, but the situation is far more complicated than that

Joe Biden Must Put an End to Business as Usual

In this time of unprecedented crises, Congress and the Biden administration must respond through unprecedented action

Keystone Cancellation a Landmark in the Climate Fight

The story behind that victory illustrates a lot about where we stand in the push for a fair and working planet.

Garbage Out; Government In

Joe Biden’s call for unity is a stretch, but that doesn’t mean progress is off the table.

Global Left Midweek - Focus on Africa

Remembering Patrice Lumumba, Marielle Franco and Chico Mendes, and news of new year struggles in four continents
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Culture

food

Hmong Farmers Find Their Own Land in Minnesota

Lindsay Campbell Modern Farmer
Long-term land ownership will bring change to Hmong farmers hoping to improve family farm operations. Hmong farmers represent more than 50 percent of produce growers in Saint Paul and Minneapolis farmers markets but affordable land access has prevented them from further developing their businesses into more sustainable, profitable operations.

poetry

Never Again

David Alpaugh Verse Daily
For California poet David Alpaugh, despite the promises of peace or justice, the violence of war lives on.

books

The Post-Trump Future of Literature

Viet Thanh Nguyen New York Times
What will writers do when the outrage is over? Will they go back to writing about flowers and moons?

Labor

labor

Multiracial Democracy or Fascist-Like Autocracy?

Portside
Georgia. MAGA insurrection. Impeachment. Conviction? Two different futures, an inclusive multiracial democracy or a fascist-like autocracy -- are colliding right now. This is about what we, and you, can do to determine which future will win.

labor

Amazon Warehouse Workers to Vote on Union

Annie Palmer CNBC
A National Labor Relations Board hearing officer ruled Friday that Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama can hold a union vote starting on Feb. 8.

Friday nite video

video

Documentary: MLK/FBI

Award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the ’50s and ’60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. Full review.

video

How QAnon Addicts Its Followers

VICE News investigates the who, what, and why behind the QAnon conspiracy movement to understand its radicalizing impact on society, in the wake of the Capitol riots.

video

How Trump Has Incited Violence for Years

'Knock the crap out of 'em, would you? I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees' — Trump has been inciting violence from his supporters for years.