Woke Cop-aganda? HBO’s Watchmen’s Hits and Misses

The HBO series Watchmen makes some accurate observations about American racism going back a century, but it ultimately fails to reflect the central nature of the relationship between class, race, and the role of police in present-day America. Despite this weakness, the series inadvertently warns against the idea that individual heroism can replace the strength of organized fightback. Warning: spoilers abound!

Parasite: The Fear That the Poor Will Rise Up and Bring Down the Rich

Parasite portrays the class struggle. But it is addressed to the bourgeoisie, not the proletariat. It reflects the capitalists’ deep-seated fear that workers will rise up against them — and their unconscious desire for punishment.

Must See Films for Black History Month

Predictably, Black talent was excluded from mainstream award shows this year despite its strong presence in film and TV. But your Black socialist cinephiles at Left Voice are excited to share our own picks for Black History Month.

Nina Simone: Portrait of a Revolutionary Artist

Nina Simone took the world of her experience, the hatred and anger of a lifetime of racial and sexual violence, and transformed it into a weapon to defend and uplift Black Americans. 

The Testament of Leon Trotsky: In Illustration

On this day 80 years ago, while in exile in Coyoacán, Mexico, Trotsky penned his last Testament, well aware that he might soon be killed or will die because of his deteriorating health. This short text was written a few months before his assassination by Ramón Mercader, a Stalinist agent. In it, Trotsky reflects on his life and his hope for future revolutionary generations.

Radical Reads: Black No More by George S. Schuyler

In Black No More, George S. Schuyler imagines a near-future dystopia in which Black people can undergo a procedure to become indistinguishable from whites. This work, written in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance, is a searing satire of racism in the United States as well as of the limitations of Black capitalism in the fight for liberation.

Who Killed Malcolm X

A new documentary sheds light on the botched investigation of the shooting of Malcolm X, who the real killers were, and who they were working for.

Langston Hughes Reflects on the Promise of The Soviet Union

Not only one of America’s preeminent poets, Langston Hughes was also firmly committed to the liberation of Black people and the working class. His accounts of his journey to the USSR in 1933 provide a powerful insight into the Revolution’s advances in fighting the oppression of religious and ethnic minorities.

Paint and protest: Iraqi protesters transform Baghdad with murals

When the waters of class struggle are stirring, art takes to the streets.