Politicians and wealthy people may be at the top of the food chain, but society itself would not function without everyday citizens. These are the vital cogs that provide the necessary elbow grease to ensure that everything works as efficiently as possible.
So, for today, we are paying tribute to these unsung heroes through the Working Class History Instagram account. These are historical figures who, in their own way, made an impact on the world around them. Whether or not you’re a history buff, you may learn something new today.
Enjoy reading and don’t forget to upvote your favorites!
#1
On 11 February 1916, Lithuanian-born Jewish anarchist Emma Goldman was arrested in New York City for distributing information on birth control. She was technically charged with breaching the Comstock Act, which banned "obscene" material from the mail or from being transported across state lines.
Goldman's arrest came as she was due to deliver a public lecture on family planning, which was a key concern for working class people. Radicals argued that family planning was essential for working class people to be able to have an acceptable standard of living, and believed that authorities opposed birth control so that there would be an oversupply of labour to keep down wages and fill the army.
Emma Goldman decided to defend herself in court, and used the trial to generate large amounts of publicity for her message. She was eventually convicted, and rather than pay a $100 fine she chose to serve 15 days in prison.
Goldman's arrest came as she was due to deliver a public lecture on family planning, which was a key concern for working class people. Radicals argued that family planning was essential for working class people to be able to have an acceptable standard of living, and believed that authorities opposed birth control so that there would be an oversupply of labour to keep down wages and fill the army.
Emma Goldman decided to defend herself in court, and used the trial to generate large amounts of publicity for her message. She was eventually convicted, and rather than pay a $100 fine she chose to serve 15 days in prison.
Report
67points
#2
The Stonewall National Monument has removed mention of trans people from its website due to the Trump administration's vicious attacks on trans people's rights to exist. Trans people were a central part of the Stonewall rebellion, and played leading roles in the subsequent gay liberation movement which led to the modern LGBTQ+ movement. We cannot let governments erase trans people from history - we have to keep these stories alive ourselves.
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57points
#3
On this day, 21 October 1929, anarchist, feminist, poet and world-renowned sci-fi and fantasy novelist Ursula K. Le Guin was born in Berkeley, California. Le Guin produced a huge body of work, including seminal novels like The Dispossessed, and maintained her radical views right up until her death in 2018.
Le Guin was always keen to remind people not to lose hope: that however bleak the situation appears, we can make a difference. This came across in a particularly powerful way in her 2014 speech at the national book awards: “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.”
Le Guin was always keen to remind people not to lose hope: that however bleak the situation appears, we can make a difference. This came across in a particularly powerful way in her 2014 speech at the national book awards: “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.”
Report
54points
What it means to be part of the working class in 2025 is starkly different from how it was decades ago.
In the 1970s, for example, 85% of working-class Americans were mainly caucasian men involved in manufacturing, construction, transportation, and agriculture. Today, it’s a more diverse demographic.
#4
On 13 March 2020, emergency medical technician Breonna Taylor, was k**led by police in Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor, who was Black, worked full-time in the emergency room Department of the University of Louisville Jewish Hospital, as well as working part-time at Norton Healthcare.
At 1 AM on March 13 Louisville police broke into her apartment with a "no-knock" d**g warrant, which allows police to forcibly enter properties without identifying themselves as police or giving any warning. Officers shot Taylor eight times, k**ling her.
Police claimed that Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire on them first, however despite initially charging Walker with attempted m****r of police, the charge was dismissed, which suggests the claim was fabricated.
Taylor's family state that after breaking in, officers “then proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life." Walker was a licensed gun owner, and no d***s were found on the premises.
On her Facebook account, Taylor had recently explain how she felt about her job helping people:
“Working in health care is so rewarding! It makes me so happy when I know I’ve made a difference in someone else’s life!”
News of her k**ling was initially overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but after the racist m*****s by current or former law-enforcement of other unarmed African-Americans Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, many thousands of people took to the streets shouting her name, as well as those of other Black people k**led by police.
At 1 AM on March 13 Louisville police broke into her apartment with a "no-knock" d**g warrant, which allows police to forcibly enter properties without identifying themselves as police or giving any warning. Officers shot Taylor eight times, k**ling her.
Police claimed that Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire on them first, however despite initially charging Walker with attempted m****r of police, the charge was dismissed, which suggests the claim was fabricated.
Taylor's family state that after breaking in, officers “then proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life." Walker was a licensed gun owner, and no d***s were found on the premises.
On her Facebook account, Taylor had recently explain how she felt about her job helping people:
“Working in health care is so rewarding! It makes me so happy when I know I’ve made a difference in someone else’s life!”
News of her k**ling was initially overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but after the racist m*****s by current or former law-enforcement of other unarmed African-Americans Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, many thousands of people took to the streets shouting her name, as well as those of other Black people k**led by police.
Report
46points
#5
On 28 June 1969, the Stonewall rebellion began in the early hours. The New York Police Department, as part of its policy of closing gay bars, raided the Stonewall Inn, which had a substantial poor and working class LGBT+ clientele. However, for the first time in the city, rather than submitting to arrest, a crowd began to gather around the police. Inside the bar, gender nonconforming people, trans women and lesbians began resisting invasive body searches. And outside a butch lesbian fought back against police when they arrested her, calling on the crowd that had formed to “do something.” According to some eyewitnesses and her own account, this individual was Stormé DeLarverie, a biracial lesbian and drag performer, who was known as a “guardian of lesbians” in the Village, although this is disputed by others who point to the fact that the only police record for a lesbian arrested that night was of a Marilyn Fowler.
The crowd, which included a significant number of Black, Latine, and white LGBT+ patrons and passersby, then began to physically fight the police, triggering riots that lasted for six days. Those involved in the disturbances included activists like Marsha P. Johnson and John O’Brien, popular folk musician Dave Van Ronk, as well as many others.
In the aftermath, participants and other LGBT+ radicals set up the Gay Liberation Front, which revolutionised the gay rights movement. They organised anniversary protests on June 28 the following year in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere. This became the annual Pride celebration that continues to this day all over the world.
The crowd, which included a significant number of Black, Latine, and white LGBT+ patrons and passersby, then began to physically fight the police, triggering riots that lasted for six days. Those involved in the disturbances included activists like Marsha P. Johnson and John O’Brien, popular folk musician Dave Van Ronk, as well as many others.
In the aftermath, participants and other LGBT+ radicals set up the Gay Liberation Front, which revolutionised the gay rights movement. They organised anniversary protests on June 28 the following year in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere. This became the annual Pride celebration that continues to this day all over the world.
Report
46points
#6
On 14 October 1977, anti-gay crusader Anita Bryant was "pied" in the face by Thom Higgins, a gay rights activist.
Bryant, who was already well-known as a singer, led Save Our Children, a homophobic campaigning group which successfully overturned legal protections for LGBT+ people in Dade County, Florida.
Bryant had declared about homosexuality: "I will lead such a crusade to stop it as this country has not seen before."
After being pied, Bryant burst into tears and began praying.
Bryant was also brand ambassador for Florida orange juice, which then became subjected to a mass boycott campaign. Gay bars replaced screwdrivers (vodka and orange juice cocktails) with "Anita Bryants" – made with vodka and apple juice, with the profits donated to the campaign.
Bryant's lucrative orange contract subsequently lapsed and her marriage failed, which caused her to be ostracised by some Christian fundamentalists who did not approve of her divorce.
Later in life, Bryant's homophobic views softened, and she stated she was "more inclined to say live and let live". In 1998, Dade County reintroduced legal protections for LGBT+ people, and efforts by Christian groups to overturn them failed.
Bryant, who was already well-known as a singer, led Save Our Children, a homophobic campaigning group which successfully overturned legal protections for LGBT+ people in Dade County, Florida.
Bryant had declared about homosexuality: "I will lead such a crusade to stop it as this country has not seen before."
After being pied, Bryant burst into tears and began praying.
Bryant was also brand ambassador for Florida orange juice, which then became subjected to a mass boycott campaign. Gay bars replaced screwdrivers (vodka and orange juice cocktails) with "Anita Bryants" – made with vodka and apple juice, with the profits donated to the campaign.
Bryant's lucrative orange contract subsequently lapsed and her marriage failed, which caused her to be ostracised by some Christian fundamentalists who did not approve of her divorce.
Later in life, Bryant's homophobic views softened, and she stated she was "more inclined to say live and let live". In 1998, Dade County reintroduced legal protections for LGBT+ people, and efforts by Christian groups to overturn them failed.
Report
44points
A 2023 report found that working-class people comprise 45% people of color, narrowing the gap with the non-Hispanic whites who still make up 55% of the lower-income workforce. Nearly half of working-class individuals are women, and 8% of them have disabilities, showing a notable diversity and progress.
#7
On 24 May 1990, the car of revolutionary construction worker and environmentalist Judi Bari was bombed, severely injuring her and wounding a colleague, Darryl Cherney.
They had been campaigning to protect ancient redwood forests in California from logging companies, and had received death threats and had their car rammed by a logging truck previously. Despite it being a clear attempt to m****r them, the FBI arrived on the scene almost immediately and attempted to frame them for their own attempted assassination.
Bari, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World union and direct action environmentalist group Earth First!, died of cancer in 1997, having lived in constant pain since the attack. Several years later Cherney and Bari's families won a civil rights case against the FBI for the frame job and were awarded $4.4 million.
They had been campaigning to protect ancient redwood forests in California from logging companies, and had received death threats and had their car rammed by a logging truck previously. Despite it being a clear attempt to m****r them, the FBI arrived on the scene almost immediately and attempted to frame them for their own attempted assassination.
Bari, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World union and direct action environmentalist group Earth First!, died of cancer in 1997, having lived in constant pain since the attack. Several years later Cherney and Bari's families won a civil rights case against the FBI for the frame job and were awarded $4.4 million.
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43points
#8
On 21 April 1856, stonemasons in Melbourne, Australia, went on strike demanding a maximum eight-hour working day – down from 10 hours per day Monday-Friday with eight hours on Saturday.
They marched from their construction site, the Old Quadrangle building at the University of Melbourne, brandishing a banner demanding “8 hours work, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest”.
The workers were extremely well organised, and were soon successful in achieving their goal, with no loss of pay, for workers engaged in public works in the city.
They celebrated on Monday 12 May, the Whit Monday holiday, with a parade of nearly 700 people from 19 trades. In 1903, workers in Ballarat, Victoria, erected an 8 hour day monument, commemorating the movement. Pictured: The Melbourne eight-hour banner, 1856
They marched from their construction site, the Old Quadrangle building at the University of Melbourne, brandishing a banner demanding “8 hours work, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest”.
The workers were extremely well organised, and were soon successful in achieving their goal, with no loss of pay, for workers engaged in public works in the city.
They celebrated on Monday 12 May, the Whit Monday holiday, with a parade of nearly 700 people from 19 trades. In 1903, workers in Ballarat, Victoria, erected an 8 hour day monument, commemorating the movement. Pictured: The Melbourne eight-hour banner, 1856
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41points
#9
On 2 November 1970, actor and Vietnam GI resistance supporter Jane Fonda was arrested at Cleveland airport as she returned from an event put on by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Canada and charged with d**g smuggling.
The following day Fonda was also charged with supposedly kicking a police officer, when a more famous mugshot was taken as she raised her fist in defiance at the police.
Both charges were bogus – the "d***s" were vitamin tablets – and they were both later dismissed. Although Fonda is clear that the intention was to discredit her due to her valuable support for the GI anti-war movement.
In addition to being a patron of VVAW, Fonda was a leading organiser of and participant in the FTA (F**k The Army) tour, and anti-war alternative to the USO shows to serving GIs.
The following day Fonda was also charged with supposedly kicking a police officer, when a more famous mugshot was taken as she raised her fist in defiance at the police.
Both charges were bogus – the "d***s" were vitamin tablets – and they were both later dismissed. Although Fonda is clear that the intention was to discredit her due to her valuable support for the GI anti-war movement.
In addition to being a patron of VVAW, Fonda was a leading organiser of and participant in the FTA (F**k The Army) tour, and anti-war alternative to the USO shows to serving GIs.
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39points
Women comprise 44% of the working class, a rate that has remained consistent since the ’90s, when it was around 46%. This has been attributed to the rising number of women earning college degrees and labor force participation rates.
#10
On 8 April 2013, former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher died. Street parties broke out across the UK, particularly in working class areas and in former mining communities which were ravaged by her policies.
Her legacy is best remembered for her destruction of the British workers' movement, after the defeat of the miners' strike of 1984-85. This enabled the drastic increase of economic inequality and unemployment in the 1980s.
Her government also slashed social housing, helping to create the situation today where it is unavailable for most people, and private property prices are mostly unaffordable for the young.
Thatcher also complained that children were "being cheated of a sound start in life" by being taught that "they have an inalienable right to be gay", so she introduced the vicious section 28 law prohibiting teaching of homosexuality as acceptable.
Abroad, Thatcher was a powerful advocate for racism, advising the Australian foreign minister to beware of Asians, else his country would "end up like Fiji, where the Indian migrants have taken over".
She hosted apartheid South Africa's head of state, while denouncing the African National Congress as a "typical terrorist organisation".
Chilean dictator general Augusto Pinochet, responsible for the r**e, m****r and torture of tens of thousands of people, was a close personal friend.
Back in Britain, she protected numerous politicians accused of p*******a including Sir Peter Hayman, and MPs Peter Morrison and Cyril Smith. She also lobbied for her friend, serial child a****r Jimmy Savile, to be knighted despite being warned about his behaviour. Margaret Thatcher was eventually forced to step down after the defeat of her hated poll tax by a mass non-payment campaign. Pictured: Jimmy Savile welcoming Thatcher to hell, reportedly.
Her legacy is best remembered for her destruction of the British workers' movement, after the defeat of the miners' strike of 1984-85. This enabled the drastic increase of economic inequality and unemployment in the 1980s.
Her government also slashed social housing, helping to create the situation today where it is unavailable for most people, and private property prices are mostly unaffordable for the young.
Thatcher also complained that children were "being cheated of a sound start in life" by being taught that "they have an inalienable right to be gay", so she introduced the vicious section 28 law prohibiting teaching of homosexuality as acceptable.
Abroad, Thatcher was a powerful advocate for racism, advising the Australian foreign minister to beware of Asians, else his country would "end up like Fiji, where the Indian migrants have taken over".
She hosted apartheid South Africa's head of state, while denouncing the African National Congress as a "typical terrorist organisation".
Chilean dictator general Augusto Pinochet, responsible for the r**e, m****r and torture of tens of thousands of people, was a close personal friend.
Back in Britain, she protected numerous politicians accused of p*******a including Sir Peter Hayman, and MPs Peter Morrison and Cyril Smith. She also lobbied for her friend, serial child a****r Jimmy Savile, to be knighted despite being warned about his behaviour. Margaret Thatcher was eventually forced to step down after the defeat of her hated poll tax by a mass non-payment campaign. Pictured: Jimmy Savile welcoming Thatcher to hell, reportedly.
Report
36points
#11
On 1 January 1994, the Zapatista uprising began, when Indigenous peoples in Chiapas, Mexico rose up and began reclaiming land. As the North American Free Trade Agreement was due to come into effect, around 1000 members of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) occupied the towns of Altamirano, Las Margaritas, Ocosingo, and San Cristobal de las Casas.
They released a statement declaring: “For many years, dictators have engaged in an undeclared genocidal war against our people. For this reason, we ask for your participation and support in our struggle for jobs, land, housing, food, health, education, independence, liberty, democracy, and justice, and peace. We will not stop fighting until these basic demands are met and a free and democratic government rules in Mexico.”
The rebels battled 14,000 Mexican colonial troops and police, and took over municipal buildings. In San Cristobal de las Casas, Zapatistas destroyed land records, and freed over 230 prisoners, most of whom were Indigenous peasants who had been locked up due to land disputes.
After 11 days of heavy fighting, a ceasefire agreement was reached, and between 159 and 300 people were dead. The Mexican army were accused of carrying out summary executions, arbitrary arrests and torture. In their new, autonomous areas, Indigenous peoples took control of their communities, redistributed power and organised new, directly democratic ways of running society. D
espite state repression, violence and massacres, their movement of around 300,000 people remains self-managed to this day
They released a statement declaring: “For many years, dictators have engaged in an undeclared genocidal war against our people. For this reason, we ask for your participation and support in our struggle for jobs, land, housing, food, health, education, independence, liberty, democracy, and justice, and peace. We will not stop fighting until these basic demands are met and a free and democratic government rules in Mexico.”
The rebels battled 14,000 Mexican colonial troops and police, and took over municipal buildings. In San Cristobal de las Casas, Zapatistas destroyed land records, and freed over 230 prisoners, most of whom were Indigenous peasants who had been locked up due to land disputes.
After 11 days of heavy fighting, a ceasefire agreement was reached, and between 159 and 300 people were dead. The Mexican army were accused of carrying out summary executions, arbitrary arrests and torture. In their new, autonomous areas, Indigenous peoples took control of their communities, redistributed power and organised new, directly democratic ways of running society. D
espite state repression, violence and massacres, their movement of around 300,000 people remains self-managed to this day
Report
34points
#12
On 16 November 2019, Chilean street "riot dog" Rucio Capucha was injured by police water cannon during a protest in Santiago.
Rucio Capucha was following in the pawprints of legendary protest dog Negro Matapacos, frequently joining riots on the side of protesters and confronting the police. As with other Chilean protest dogs, he was thus often subjected to violent attacks by the police.
On this occasion, video shows he was clearly deliberately targeted by police in a water cannon truck, who blasted him with it as he walked through an empty section of street during a protest.
The blast left him with a contusion on his left lung, but he was cared for by veterinary students and survived. He was then adopted and lived happily with a family until mid 2023, when he passed away due to renal failure.
Rucio Capucha was following in the pawprints of legendary protest dog Negro Matapacos, frequently joining riots on the side of protesters and confronting the police. As with other Chilean protest dogs, he was thus often subjected to violent attacks by the police.
On this occasion, video shows he was clearly deliberately targeted by police in a water cannon truck, who blasted him with it as he walked through an empty section of street during a protest.
The blast left him with a contusion on his left lung, but he was cared for by veterinary students and survived. He was then adopted and lived happily with a family until mid 2023, when he passed away due to renal failure.
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29points
Working-class people are no strangers to challenges, with financial issues being one of the heaviest burdens they carry. A January report by Forbes revealed that 73% of workers have been struggling with financial stress, which has impacted their well-being.
With rising living costs, there has also been an increase in salary dissatisfaction among employees, which affects their morale at the workplace.
#13
On 22 January 1891, Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci was born in Sardinia. One of Gramsci's most important contributions to the workers' movement was his theory of hegemony, which describes how the capitalist class maintains its power most of the time not through open violence and repression but through ideology and its domination of culture.
Gramsci was a vocal critic of fascism, and dictator Benito Mussolini, until he was arrested in 1926. He was put on trial, during which his prosecutor stated: "We must stop his brain from working for 20 years."
However, Gramsci continued his work in prison, writing extensively and evading sensors. In one of his letters from prison, he wrote of the importance of both realism and hope:
"The challenge of modernity is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned. I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will."
Gramsci was a vocal critic of fascism, and dictator Benito Mussolini, until he was arrested in 1926. He was put on trial, during which his prosecutor stated: "We must stop his brain from working for 20 years."
However, Gramsci continued his work in prison, writing extensively and evading sensors. In one of his letters from prison, he wrote of the importance of both realism and hope:
"The challenge of modernity is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned. I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will."
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28points
#14
On 13 November 1909, suffragette Theresa Garnett attacked then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill with a horsewhip in Bristol, shouting "Take that in the name of the insulted women of England!"
Garnett was arrested for assault, but as Churchill did not want to appear in court he did not press charges. So instead she was jailed for one month for "disturbing the peace".
In prison, Garnett joined other suffragettes on hunger strike and was then force-fed. She set fire to her cell in protest, and was then moved to a solitary confinement punishment cell.
Garnett was arrested for assault, but as Churchill did not want to appear in court he did not press charges. So instead she was jailed for one month for "disturbing the peace".
In prison, Garnett joined other suffragettes on hunger strike and was then force-fed. She set fire to her cell in protest, and was then moved to a solitary confinement punishment cell.
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28points
#15
On 18 December 1974, the radical Danish Solvognen theatre group, all dressed as Santas, provoked a near-riot in a Copenhagen department store.
Against a background of an unemployment crisis, groups of Santas went around on roller skates, others attacked state buildings with pitchforks, others visited the elderly in nursing homes and visited children in schools and passed out people's history books.
The events climaxed when the Santa Claus Army entered the Magasin department store on December 18 and began passing out gifts from the store's shelves for free to shoppers, saying "Merry Christmas! Today, no one has to pay".
They justified their actions saying they were returning gifts to the workers who had made them.
When police arrived, they began arresting the Santas, who cried out: “This is bourgeois justice!”. The children who had been watching started crying – likely the desired result by the activists, to educate the children on the role of the police in capitalist society.
Against a background of an unemployment crisis, groups of Santas went around on roller skates, others attacked state buildings with pitchforks, others visited the elderly in nursing homes and visited children in schools and passed out people's history books.
The events climaxed when the Santa Claus Army entered the Magasin department store on December 18 and began passing out gifts from the store's shelves for free to shoppers, saying "Merry Christmas! Today, no one has to pay".
They justified their actions saying they were returning gifts to the workers who had made them.
When police arrived, they began arresting the Santas, who cried out: “This is bourgeois justice!”. The children who had been watching started crying – likely the desired result by the activists, to educate the children on the role of the police in capitalist society.
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27points
Working-class actors also go through the same struggles. They comprise the larger chunk of members of the SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that also includes announcers, broadcasters, puppeteers, recording artists, and other media professionals.
According to a 2023 USA Today report, 92% of its members earn less than $80,000 annually, and 86% don’t have the union’s health insurance because they make less than the required $26,000 annual income.
#16
On 25 May 1895, libertarian socialist author Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for two years' hard labour for "indecency" for having s*x with men.
Though many potential witnesses refused to testify against him, he was convicted, and upon sentencing judge stated: “It is the worst case I have ever tried. I shall pass the severest sentence that the law allows. In my judgment it is totally inadequate for such a case as this. The sentence of the Court is that you be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for two years.”
Wilde's detention would cause him serious health problems which eventually contributed to his untimely death.
In his essay, The Soul of Man under Socialism, in which he expounds his political ideas, he declares: "Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion."
Though many potential witnesses refused to testify against him, he was convicted, and upon sentencing judge stated: “It is the worst case I have ever tried. I shall pass the severest sentence that the law allows. In my judgment it is totally inadequate for such a case as this. The sentence of the Court is that you be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for two years.”
Wilde's detention would cause him serious health problems which eventually contributed to his untimely death.
In his essay, The Soul of Man under Socialism, in which he expounds his political ideas, he declares: "Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion."
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26points
#17
On 14 February 1961, Dainton Connell was born in Brighton. He became famous as a leader of one of the hooligan firms at Arsenal football club. He played a key role in ensuring that the f*****t National Front – which was trying to infiltrate football fans – failed to gain any foothold at Arsenal, often confronting paper sellers. On one occasion he even inserted himself at the head of a National Front demonstration, flying a union jack to mock them.
Connell later became a bodyguard and manager to the Pet Shop Boys. When he died in a car crash aged 46, his funeral was attended by 3,000 people including Arsenal legends like Ian Wright. A memorial plaque to him by the Arsenal stadium was taken down by Islington council.
Connell later became a bodyguard and manager to the Pet Shop Boys. When he died in a car crash aged 46, his funeral was attended by 3,000 people including Arsenal legends like Ian Wright. A memorial plaque to him by the Arsenal stadium was taken down by Islington council.
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24points
#18
On 19 February 2002, legendary transgender activist, of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan descent, Sylvia Rivera died aged 50 in New York City.
Born in the Bronx, by the age of 11, Rivera ran away from home due to the ridicule faced growing up as a trans youth. Later she began to identify as Sylvia and befriended Marsha P Johnson.
Rivera soon began a large span of work in liberatory action, which included involvement in the Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activist Alliance and Young Lords Organisation. Rivera was involved in protests against homophobia within the Black Panther Party, after which Huey Newton wrote a letter opposing homophobia and supporting gay liberation.
Rivera faced transphobia and discrimination as Pride events gained larger mainstream momentum. This boiled down in an impassioned speech by Rivera known as the “Y’all Better Quiet Down” speech.
In 1971 with Johnson, Rivera co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), and acted as a mother to many trans houseless youth. After the closure of the STAR house, Rivera moved to the north of New York City and returned to West Village in 1992 after hearing about the death of Johnson.
In 1995 Rivera attempted s*****e by walking into the river Johnson was found in. She then moved into the Transy House in 1997, which was a new home for trans and gender-nonconforming people needing shelter. Here she continued in her activist work up until her passing in 2002 due to liver cancer complications.
Following her death, the impact of Rivera's activism has been much more widely acknowledged, including by the queer community but also that of homeless, trans, and gender-nonconforming s*x workers. Sylvia Rivera is survived by her partner Julia Murry, the many spaces and organisations named after her, and the community of which she was a crucial part.
Born in the Bronx, by the age of 11, Rivera ran away from home due to the ridicule faced growing up as a trans youth. Later she began to identify as Sylvia and befriended Marsha P Johnson.
Rivera soon began a large span of work in liberatory action, which included involvement in the Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activist Alliance and Young Lords Organisation. Rivera was involved in protests against homophobia within the Black Panther Party, after which Huey Newton wrote a letter opposing homophobia and supporting gay liberation.
Rivera faced transphobia and discrimination as Pride events gained larger mainstream momentum. This boiled down in an impassioned speech by Rivera known as the “Y’all Better Quiet Down” speech.
In 1971 with Johnson, Rivera co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), and acted as a mother to many trans houseless youth. After the closure of the STAR house, Rivera moved to the north of New York City and returned to West Village in 1992 after hearing about the death of Johnson.
In 1995 Rivera attempted s*****e by walking into the river Johnson was found in. She then moved into the Transy House in 1997, which was a new home for trans and gender-nonconforming people needing shelter. Here she continued in her activist work up until her passing in 2002 due to liver cancer complications.
Following her death, the impact of Rivera's activism has been much more widely acknowledged, including by the queer community but also that of homeless, trans, and gender-nonconforming s*x workers. Sylvia Rivera is survived by her partner Julia Murry, the many spaces and organisations named after her, and the community of which she was a crucial part.
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23points
It may take a while for the class division to fully narrow, but employers can do their part in lessening the financial burden of their workers. Workplace expert Keith Spencer suggests fostering transparency around salaries while offering meaningful benefits and creating growth opportunities.
“Addressing these challenges head-on empowers workers to take control of their financial well-being, build resilience, and create a more secure future for themselves.”
#19
On 28 May 2013 during the Turkish Occupy Gezi protests, the "woman in red", Ceyda Sungur, was pepper sprayed by police. The photograph of the event, by Osman Orsal, became the defining image of the movement.
The protests began against development of Gezi Park in Istanbul but transformed into a national movement against the increasing authoritarianism of the right-wing government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
A university worker, Sungur didn't want notoriety, saying "a lot of people who were at the park and they were also tear-gassed… There is not (a) difference between them and I." She was subsequently arrested for “provoking people to disobey laws”, although the following year the charges were dismissed.
The protests began against development of Gezi Park in Istanbul but transformed into a national movement against the increasing authoritarianism of the right-wing government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
A university worker, Sungur didn't want notoriety, saying "a lot of people who were at the park and they were also tear-gassed… There is not (a) difference between them and I." She was subsequently arrested for “provoking people to disobey laws”, although the following year the charges were dismissed.
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#20
On 15 October 1987, socialist president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, was assassinated, aged 37. He was k**led in a military coup that is suspected to have been backed by France, the former colonial power.
In just four years, his government attracted mass public support by implementing numerous radical reforms to improve the quality-of-life for poor, working-class people and women. In particular millions of children were vaccinated against meningitis, yellow fever and measles, schools and hospitals were constructed, millions of trees planted to fight desertification, and the country became food sufficient. He reduced his own salary to just $450 per month, and the government reduced wages and perks for senior government officials, implemented quotas to increase the numbers of women in public life, combated female genital mutilation and forced marriages, and nationalised land and mineral resources.
The coup was orchestrated by Sankara’s former colleague, Blaise Compaoré, who established a dictatorship which would rule the country for the next 27 years, and undo many of the previous changes, by privatising public property. His government was backed by the US and France, and received funding from the International Monetary Fund, until it was overthrown in 2014 after a popular uprising.
In just four years, his government attracted mass public support by implementing numerous radical reforms to improve the quality-of-life for poor, working-class people and women. In particular millions of children were vaccinated against meningitis, yellow fever and measles, schools and hospitals were constructed, millions of trees planted to fight desertification, and the country became food sufficient. He reduced his own salary to just $450 per month, and the government reduced wages and perks for senior government officials, implemented quotas to increase the numbers of women in public life, combated female genital mutilation and forced marriages, and nationalised land and mineral resources.
The coup was orchestrated by Sankara’s former colleague, Blaise Compaoré, who established a dictatorship which would rule the country for the next 27 years, and undo many of the previous changes, by privatising public property. His government was backed by the US and France, and received funding from the International Monetary Fund, until it was overthrown in 2014 after a popular uprising.
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