Despite its frequent portrayal as a region of sun-drenched bungalows, citrus trees and quaint conservatism, Los Angeles in the first half of the 20th century was roiled by radicalism. A rise in worker militancy led to the development of the Los Angeles CIO, one of the most diversely led labor formations in the United States. Labor organizing and a racist judicial system, clearly seen in the trials following the Zoot Suit Riots, brought together community leaders, radicals, and communists in broad coalitions dedicated to defending the rights of the multiracial working class.
In this class we’ll explore how leftists built multiracial organizations in fields, factories and communities and think through the lessons these experiences might hold for socialists today.
Join the DSA-LA Political Education Committee for our second class of the Political Education Committee’s 5-Part Night School Series: Lost Angles Building a Radical Los Angeles on Thursday, July 15 at 6 pm.
Each session features a brief, informal presentation followed by facilitated discussion designed to engage all levels and connect current events to foundational socialist concepts and debates.
Comrades are encouraged (but not required) to review recommended readings linked in the class reader aligned with session topic found here.
Check out more classes in this series:
- The Horizontal City – 7/1
- Red Hollywood – 7/29
- Legacies of LA’s Third World Left – 8/12
- The LA Secession Wars – 8/26