This Week in People’s History, Sep 9–15, 2026

Sanctuary activists preventing INS van from deporting refugees
Activists Resist U.S. Government Deportation Spree (1981), Round Up the Usual Suspects! (1901), ‘Freedom Began Here’ (1851), Sunshine Is the Best Disinfectant (1976), A Billion Here, A Billion There, Pretty Soon You’re Talking About Real Money (1996)

India’s Gen Z Protests Are Breaking the Grip of Fear

The protest movement by young people in India has challenged the culture of fear that protects Narendra Modi’s Hindutva government. They are carving out the space for a future without Modi and his divisive authoritarian agenda.

Can CIO Best Practices Aid Union Organizing Today?

In his new book, Unions, Race, and Popular Democracy: Building a Progressive Labor Movement (Cornell), sociology professor Kim Scipes examines parallel efforts to build two CIO unions in the Midwest—via the Steel Workers and Packinghouse Workers.

Lindsay Clancy: Parts of Motherhood We Don’t Talk About

The case ended in a mistrial — but the frustrations raised by women around maternal mental health and racial inequities aren’t going away.

Labor Unions Are Growing, but State Politics Matter

More Americans are turning to unions as a bulwark against the rising cost of living, and more public sector workers turned towards unions last year in the wake of some federal actions and federal headwinds.

Inside the DOJ Investigation of Fauci/Other Scientists

As Dr. Anthony Fauci has faced public scrutiny from congressional Republicans, the D.O.J. has pursued a quieter and more expansive effort against a wider circle of researchers.

No Wonder ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Is Resonating.

Product unreliability inspired a witty 1990 New Yorker piece by Ian Frazier, "Coyote v. Acme," in which Wile E. Coyote sues Acme for damages. In turn, that piece inspired the terrifically entertaining new movie Coyote vs. Acme, finally in theaters.

The South at a Demographic Tipping Point

Census data shows profound demographic changes taking place across the South.

Where Hatred Lies

A nuanced new history by Mark Mazower reminds us that antisemitism, an age-old threat to Jewish life, can be warped into a political tool—as we see today, when any criticism of Israel can be deemed antisemitic.

U.S. Military and Spy Bases in Australia, Mapped

Research by the Nautilus Institute has revealed what some analysts have labelled a 'colonisation' of Australia by the United States . . . could this drag Australia unwillingly into war?
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Culture

books

Muriel Rukeyser and the Poetry of Antifascism

Jeremy Wang-Iverson Rain Taxi
This new collection of essays, articles, and radio scripts should help bring renewed attention to this too-little-known modernist left wing poet and writer.

food

Tech Alone Won’t Future-Proof the Food System, Experts Warn

Rich Bellis Agfundernews.com
There’s broad consensus that the food system needs updating but little agreement about how to do it. Calls for ambitious policy responses to climate and geopolitical risks in the current food system are growing louder.

Labor

labor

I Refused To Train the AI That Could Replace Me

James Maisiri rest of world
AI companies are paying highly educated workers to teach machines the judgment they spent years developing — even when those systems could eventually replace them.

labor

Denver Library Workers Unionize With Overwhelming Vote

Paolo Zialcita Denverite
Nearly 600 workers at Denver Public Library will be represented by a collective bargaining unit after employees voted overwhelmingly in favor of forming Denver’s first union under newly afforded labor rights.

labor

Dolly Parton Was a Proud Union Sister

John Nichols The Nation
Organized labor is celebrating the life and legacy of an artist who championed working women and carried a union card for almost 60 years.

Friday nite video

Filipinana | Movie (2026)

This grippingly understated drama of class on a luxury Philippine golf course is an invitation to look closer and question why these systems are still in place. Read a full review here.

video

I Tracked Down the Company Ruining Fruit

America’s biggest berry empire doesn’t actually grow berries. A middleman controls the genetics, reaps the profits, and then shifts blame.