How Inequality Was Redefined as “Poverty”—Letting Capitalism Off the Hook How Inequality Was Redefined as “Poverty”—Letting Capitalism Off the Hook
In the 1960s, policy shifted from calling for the redistribution of wealth to enforcing an ideology of personal responsibility.
Sep 5, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.
The Uses of Affirmative Action The Uses of Affirmative Action
The right denounced it as "reverse racism," while the liberal center hailed it as the endpoint of egalitarianism. But as a limited measure in the fight against discrimination, it ...
Aug 9, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.
Is It Useful to Analyze Politics in Terms of Generations? Is It Useful to Analyze Politics in Terms of Generations?
Keir Milburn argues that generational analysis can provide clues to the operation of class while Adolph Reed Jr. writes that it can obscure historically specific social relations.
Jul 14, 2023 / The Debate / Keir Milburn and Adolph Reed Jr.
From Full Employment to Racial Democracy From Full Employment to Racial Democracy
In the second half of the 20th century, Black politics began to shift away from its focus on economic inequality.
Jun 29, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.
When Racial Justice Meant Universal Social Benefits When Racial Justice Meant Universal Social Benefits
The left used to believe that reducing inequality across the board was the best way to combat racial injustice. What happened?
May 17, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.
Want to Turn the Pitiless March of Gentrification Into a Parable of Progress? Want to Turn the Pitiless March of Gentrification Into a Parable of Progress?
The New York Times shows just how it's done.
Apr 4, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.
Race and Class: The Beginnings of an Argument Race and Class: The Beginnings of an Argument
Some personal and theoretical reflections on intersectionality and its discontents.
Feb 20, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.
The Charter School Industry’s Dishonest Attack on Bernie Sanders The Charter School Industry’s Dishonest Attack on Bernie Sanders
Arguing that charter schools offer unique opportunities for poor African American children isn’t borne out by the facts.
Jun 19, 2019 / Adolph Reed Jr. and Cornel West
Bernie Sanders’s ‘College for All’ Plan Is Fair, Smart and Achievable Bernie Sanders’s ‘College for All’ Plan Is Fair, Smart and Achievable
Of all the candidates, only Sanders proposes an alternative to the neoliberal model of higher ed.
Dec 2, 2015 / Heather Gautney and Adolph Reed Jr.
Equality: Why We Can’t Wait Equality: Why We Can’t Wait
In a 1991 special issue, Julian Bond argued that the fight for racial and gender equality wasn’t a “special interest”—it was essential to the progressive struggle.
Aug 17, 2015 / Julian Bond and Adolph Reed Jr.