Bill Fletcher Jr.

"Right Wing Authoritarianism vs the Third Reconstruction"

Monday, February 27

6:00 p.m. via Zoom

With the abolishment of slavery, post-Civil War Reconstruction redefined citizenship and created the world’s first bi-racial democracy, only to be overthrown by a campaign of organized violence. A century later, the descendants of the enslaved fought to regain equal rights, in the civil rights era of the 1950s and ‘60s—a Second Reconstruction. Today, with the rise of white supremacist rightwing authoritarianism and attacks on the gains of the Second Reconstruction, like voting rights, the very teaching of history, the Jan. 6 coup attempt, and the continuing injustices of poverty and systemic racism, many are calling for a Third Reconstruction. Bill Fletcher Jr. will speak on the current crisis and the dangers and opportunities facing our multiracial democracy.

Bill Fletcher Jr has been an activist since his teen years. Upon graduating from college he went to work as a welder in a shipyard, thereby entering the labor movement. Over the years he has been active in workplace and community struggles as well as electoral campaigns. He has worked for several labor unions in addition to serving as a senior staffperson in the national AFL-CIO. He has co-authored several books, and is the author of “‘They’re Bankrupting Us’ – And Twenty other myths about unions.” (read more here).

Members and students are invited to attend this event! Faculty members: Consider assigning this talk for an extra-credit reflection essay and class discussion. Please register for the zoom event here.