Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff

Episode: Black Socialists of America (BSA)

Date: September 27, 2018
Host: Richard D. Wolff
Guests: Zee (creative, NYC/DC/Tokyo), Sean (socialist lawyer, Montgomery, AL), Co-Founders, Black Socialists of America (BSA)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Richard D. Wolff examines recent labor struggles, the evolution of socialist politics in the US, and the intersection of race and socialism with a focus on the newly-formed Black Socialists of America (BSA). The second half features an in-depth interview with BSA co-founders Zee and Sean, exploring the origins, goals, and perspectives of their organization, and their vision for a racially-conscious, working-class, grassroots socialism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recent Labor Struggles

• Chicago Hotel Workers Strike (00:50)

  • UNITE Here union members at 26 Chicago hotels went on strike seeking:
    • Year-round health insurance, not just when employed (critical due to seasonality)
    • Protection from sexual harassment: “Hands Off Pants On” campaign initiated after a survey found over half of hotel workers experienced sexual harassment.
    • Seven hotels settled, but the strike continued at others.
  • Wolff: “It tells you something about a society where there has to be a campaign to keep your hands off and your pants on.” (03:04)

• Philadelphia Parking Attendants (05:10)

  • Efforts to unionize with SEIU for better wages/hours.

• Significance:

  • Wolff notes these struggles reflect a resurgence in labor activism, paralleling the energy of the #MeToo movement. New modes of resistance might indicate “big changes if it can be sustained and if it gets our support.” (06:14)

2. Money and Politics: New York State Elections

• Andrew Cuomo vs. Cynthia Nixon (Democratic Primary) (07:00)

  • Cuomo spent nearly $40 million to defeat Nixon, a progressive left challenger with far fewer resources.
  • Wolff:

    “Cynthia Nixon, a newcomer, was able to get over a third of the vote, an astonishingly positive achievement given her history versus his money, her politics versus his money, and her appeal to young people and their enthusiasm for a better world versus his money.” (09:55)

• Rise of Socialists in Electoral Politics

  • Julia Salazar: Expected to become the first socialist in the NY State Senate in 100 years.
  • Historical note: Early 20th-century Oklahoma was the most socialist state in terms of legislature seats (11:16).
  • Wolff:

    “Being a socialist now is not only politically possible, but is... a ticket to winning office and winning elections.” (11:58)

3. Sexual Harassment and the Economics of Gender

• McDonald’s Workers’ Strike (Sept 18, 2018 in 10 cities)
  • Workers protested sexual harassment and demanded better response from McDonald's (13:10).
  • Wolff connects sexual harassment to broader economic injustice:
    • Women leaving or avoiding jobs/fields due to harassment = talent and productivity lost to discrimination.
    • Socialization and university tracks build in unspoken bias.
  • Wolff:

    “We have suffered staggeringly for a long time in giving half of the population a hard deal... And we have lost all that they could have produced.” (14:07) “Hats off to the women and the men at the McDonald's restaurant for saying we won't do this anymore.” (14:38)

Main Interview: Black Socialists of America (BSA)

[Start: 15:11]

Introduction to BSA

• Zee:
  • BSA started as social media outreach in late 2017, curating and highlighting Black American socialist history (15:41).
  • Grew into a network due to response and the lack of explicitly Black socialist organizations.
  • Motivation solidified after Cornel West’s public critique of Ta-Nehisi Coates and perceived lack of organized Black leftist voice.
  • Zee:

    “There needs to be a collective voice, not just…individuals…speaking up… but a group voice, collective voice.” (16:59)

What Does “Socialism” Mean for BSA?

• Sean:

  • Focus on bridging labor and ownership, aiming for worker democracy and cooperative modes, not state bureaucratization.

    “We conceive of a socialism where workers democracy is the standard economic mode... doing so in a manner that is cooperative rather than competitive.” (17:52)

  • Preference for worker-directed, grassroots approaches over state-centered or top-down solutions.

• Zee:

  • Emphasizes democratic control in workplaces and over surplus value (18:59).

Why Launch BSA Now?

• Millennial Influences:

  • Both founders cite Bernie Sanders’ campaign as a catalyst (19:36).
  • Noted lack of concrete policies/strategy from existing socialist orgs spurred them to do more than just education or conversation.

• Zee:

  “We have an opportunity to create tools…to start building democratic enterprises and institutions that can allow us to actually challenge capitalist relations from where we are.” (21:14)

Why Build a New Organization?

• Sean:

  • “Problem of creativity” on the American left: most organizations either fail to take both race and class seriously, or offer solutions that are either unrealistic or overly statist (22:17).
  • Aspires for a grassroots, race-conscious, practical, and creative organizing model.

• Zee:

  “With Democratic Socialists of America… black Americans… venting to us about not being heard, not being listened to… this class reductionist… has plagued the American left for decades now.” (24:10)

  • BSA aims to address issues disproportionately impacting poor and working-class Black Americans while linking to internationalist struggles.

Vision for Multi-Ethnic, Multi-Racial Socialism

• Zee:

  • Cites self-determination and the model of Fred Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition (23:31).
  • Critiques the atomization of leftist movements and calls for unified, systemic-economic transformation.

• Sean:

  “If we could bring together the… single issue groups to merge around a shared platform… economic, but also racial and cultural transformation… the sky’s the limit…” (25:20)

BSA's Three-Pronged Strategy

• Sean:

  1. Educate people on socialism’s ideals.
  2. Set up alternative economic and political institutions.
  3. Weaken the capitalist state through these means. (28:01)

• Zee: Reiterates focus on building dual power and worker-directed enterprises, warning of the dangers of co-ops being “co-opted” by capitalism (26:58).

• Notable Moment:

  • Wordplay: “co-ops can be co-opted by capital. Co-op. Co-opted. Exactly. Nice little pun there.” (27:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Wolff on activism:

  “Workers are beginning to fight back. Like the women in the MeToo movement. The labor movement is emerging again, and that makes for big changes if it can be sustained and if it gets our support.” (06:14)

• Sean on left organizing:

  “So many of them, first of all, they either don’t take class seriously or they don’t take race seriously. It’s one or the other. They don’t really attack them both as being essentially the same issue.” (22:17)

• Zee on DSA’s shortcomings:

  “We have, you know, Black Americans who are part of that organization venting to us about not being heard, not being listened to…” (24:10)

• Wolff on BSA’s approach:

  “You’re not doing that. You’re going right at the beginning and saying no, it’s the whole economic system…” (24:49)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Chicago hotel strike & labor resurgence: 00:50–05:10
• Money in politics & rise of socialists: 07:00–12:00
• Sexual harassment & economic impact: 13:10–14:38
• Interview with BSA begins: 15:11
  • BSA origin & purpose: 15:41–16:59
  • Defining socialism for BSA: 17:35–18:59
  • Why now? (Millennial catalysts): 19:32–21:14
  • Why a new organization—not joining existing left orgs: 22:13–24:10
  • Multi-ethnic, multi-racial radicalism; need for new strategies: 23:31–26:27
  • Dual power & worker-directed enterprises: 26:58–28:12
  • BSA's three-pronged strategy: 28:01–28:12

Conclusion

This episode of Economic Update highlights both the renewed militancy in American labor and the new forms of left organizing arising from the intersection of race and class, embodied in the work of the Black Socialists of America. The discussion offers a critical look at historical and contemporary barriers to worker and Black empowerment, while BSA’s founders articulate a vision for a new, grassroots, institution-building, and resolutely democratic socialist movement in America.