Joe Rogan is a vessel of racism and racist demagoguery. He twists and ignores historical and present day realities to peddle – and he is well paid for it – a racist narrative to white workers. In his telling, the interests of white workers are at loggerheads with workers of color. Progressives, the social justice movement, and especially the labor movement should challenge his narrative and the narrative of others like him.

White workers derive advantages from racism to be sure, but it also comes at a price, moral, cultural, and material. Thus in challenging racism, this side of the dialectic can’t be ignored or minimized. In fact, it should command systematic and creative attention, if we hope to move white workers from the MAGA camp to the camp of democratic, egalitarian, and social progress for all.And yet in too many instances this side of the dialectic is, like an orphan, who finds too few suiters.

I saw a dear friend of mine yesterday. She’s in a battle with cancer that she is fighting with every bit as much grace, honesty, and courage that has marked every day of her life. Upon leaving I told her that she’s not only a remarkable political activist, but also, and this counts a lot in my book, the best friend anyone could ever have. Since both of us are Bruce fans, I thought I would post one of his songs that I suspect she likes too.

(I presented this nearly 10 years ago to the National Board of the CPUSA, shortly before the party’s convention in 2014, where I stepped down. It wasn’t greated with great enthusiasm, I’m posting it because most of it holds up pretty well; some things not so much. It’s slightly edited here and there.)