Region

You are here

Marxism 2021: Socialist Ideas for a World in Crisis, one day on-line conference.

Location

zoom Toronto , ON
Canada
Ontario CA

Marxism 2021:
Socialist Ideas for a World in Crisis
one day on-line conference.

Sunday June 13, 2021, 10am Pacific time, 1pm Eastern time.

Jointly hosted by IS Canada and Marx21US

Click here to register in advance.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Download the schedule in pdf form here


Schedule

10AM PDT | 1PM EDT Plenary with Alex Callinicos: Socialist ideas for a world in crisis

 

11AM PDT | 2PM EDT choose from these three sessions:

What would a green economy look like

A rebel's guide to Marx OR

The fight against racism and the far-right

 

12:30PM PDT | 3:30PM EDT choose from these three sessions:

Indigenous sovereignty & climate justice

Police and the capitalist state OR

How workers power will change the world

 

1:45PM PDT | 4:45PM EDT

Closing rally: A world to win

 


Talk descriptions

Opening Meeting: Socialist Ideas for a World in Crisis

In the opening plenary of Marxism 2021 Alex Callinicos, leading member of the Socialist Workers Party in Great Britain, will look at the ongoing triple crises of capitalism: the pandemic, catastrophic climate change and the underlying economic injustice facing humanity. These crises have thrown up impressive and important moments of resistance globally, from the eruption of Black Lives Matter to the courageous struggle of Palestinians and the global solidarity movement. In his talk Alex will look at how socialist politics can be a crucial tool in our fight for a better world.

Indigenous sovereignty & climate justice

Indigenous occupations and protests against extractive industrial projects have sparked solidarity movements around the world. These struggles have transformed the landscape, raising hopes of stopping rapacious megaprojects and the climate chaos they bring. They also outline a path along which a powerful movement uniting Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous settlers in countries like Canada and the US could strike at the roots of capitalism itself. Join us for a discussion of the importance of Indigenous sovereignty, solidarity, and climate justice.

Speakers:
Merv King is a member of the Bear Clan of the Temiskaming First Nation and an activist in the United Steelworkers.
Michelle Robidoux is a Toronto based activist and a member of the International Socialists.

What would a real green economy look like?

A Green New Deal to solve the climate crisis has become a rallying cry for many who see that the capitalist system, that created the crisis in the first place, will never solve it. A green economy that benefits everyone would include more than just sustainable production it would recognize social needs as well. Join us for a discussion of the Marxist case for a real green economy and the kind of movement that we need to get there.

Speakers:
Aliya Hirji (she/her) is a social and climate justice activist based in so-called Toronto, Canada - the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Huron-wendat, and Mississaugas of the New Credit. At Fridays for Future Toronto, she organizes global climate strikes, creates online actions, and leads a campaign pushing the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to divest from fossil fuels. At Banking on a Better Future, she educates young people across the country on the fossil fuel investments of the Canadian Big 5 Banks and empowers them to pledge against banking with climate criminals.
Thomas Hummel is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America from New York City. He studied environmental policy at the New School and has written for Marx21 and the Tempest Collective.
Brian Champ is a socialist and member of the Toronto East International Socialists, active in building struggles for Indigenous sovereignty, climate justice and mobilizing community members in opposition to racism and fascism.

Police & the capitalist state

Last year's wide spread protests over the continuing police murders of Black men in the US brought the call to abolish the police to prominence. Socialists have long understood that dismantling the police along with the rest of the repressive institutions of the state is a necessary first step to building a liberated society. Way back in 1871 during the Paris Commune, eliminating the police and the standing army were the first steps of the workers' revolution in that city. They went on to eliminate rents and debts and make numerous improvements in workers living standards before the revolution was crushed by the French army.

From the Black Panthers to the Movement for Black Lives, abolishing the police has been seen as key to dismantling racial capitalism. Join us for a discussion of the Marxists theory of the state and police and how we can abolish both.

Speakers:
Virginia Rodino  is a member of Marx 21 (US). She  currently is the Convenor of United Against Hate and Fascism, the President of the Maryland chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO and the Co-Chair of the Maryland Green Party.
Parry Mudhar is a member of the Vancouver branch of the International Socialists.

A rebel’s guide to Marx

Karl Marx died in obscurity in March 1883. A dozen people attended his funeral at Highgate Cemetery in London. Marx has been buried again symbolically many times since. Yet over 200 years since Marx’s birth his ideas and his legacy continue to be relevant for struggles in the 21st century. So why is Marx proving so hard to bury? The fundamental answer is capitalism. Come to this talk for a discussion of some of Marx’s important contributions to radical theory and how his ideas remain critical to our struggles today.

Speaker:
Clare Lemlich is an Australian-born socialist based in Los Angeles. She is a member, organizer, and writer with Marx21US and has written for International Socialism Journal, Socialist Worker (Britain), Solidarity Magazine (Australia), and Socialist Worker (US).

How workers power will change the world

The human and financial costs of the pandemic have nearly all been borne by workers. Our rulers also expect that they can pay for the crisis with austerity and other attacks on our standard of living after the pandemic has passed. There have been strikes and other resistance so far, and more organizing will be needed soon. By organizing in our workplaces we have the power to hit the 1% where it hurts them the most, by taking away their profits. Join us for a discussion of the power of unions and the power of the working class to build a better world.

Speakers:
Liz Medina (she/hers) is the Executive Director, Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Saru Jayaraman is an American attorney, author, and activist from Los Angeles, California. She is an advocate for restaurant workers in the (San Francisco) Bay Area and co-founder of the non-profit public service organization Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. As the President of One Fair Wage and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley, Saru has spent the last 20 years organizing and advocating for raising wages and working conditions for restaurant and other service workers.
Ritch Whyman works on the Justice for Janitors Campaign with SEIU Local 2 in Toronto. He is on the executive of the Hamilton and District Labour Council and a member of Teamsters Local 879. He is a long standing member of the International Socialists.

Click here to register in advance.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
 

 

Dates: 
Sunday, June 13, 2021 - 01:00
Organized by: 
International Socialists Canada and Marx21US

Featured Event

Events

Twitter

Visit our YouTube Channel for more videos: Our Youtube Channel
Visit our UStream Channel for live videos: Our Ustream Channel