Brian Jones writes frequently for SocialistWorker.org.
• A dream of education equality
The occasion of a day to honor Dr. King is an annual opportunity to remind ourselves that equity in education--and elsewhere--is possible. January 16, 2012
• Unraveling the myths about teachers
One year after NBC's "Education Nation" summit on public schools, the "reformers" have had a bad year--but they're still pushing their agenda. October 10, 2011
• A stand to save our schools
The Save Our Schools march drew thousands of educators and activists to Washington, D.C., to talk about real education reform. August 2, 2011
• Beyond the legend of Malcolm X
A controversial biography by the late Manning Marable provides a fascinating account of Malcolm X's life story and political development. May 24, 2011
• Obama's real constituency
Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail, but he needs some new slogans--because "hope" and "change" have been emptied of any content. April 26, 2011
• "Egypt moment" for education
Make no mistake about it--for those of us who are determined to defend public education, this is our Egypt moment. February 24, 2011
• The other name for school "reform"
Education "reform" has been referred to by various terms: privatization, deregulation, neoliberalism. Karl Marx had another name for it: capitalism. February 2, 2011
• The unclosed achievement gap
More than 40 years after the civil rights movement shined a spotlight on it, the racial achievement gap is alive and well. January 13, 2011
• Privatizing war and education
Once you get past the hype, the war on public education is motivated by the same imperatives--power and profit--driving U.S. wars abroad. November 10, 2010
• A Harlem charter takeover
Thousands of people in Harlem are about to lose their green space--to the construction of yet another charter school. October 22, 2010
• Civil rights struggle or sham?
Supporters of charter schools claim they are fighting a "civil rights" struggle, but would Martin Luther King sign up for such a "movement"? October 19, 2010
• What I learned at the education summit
The sacrificial teacher on a televised panel discussion packed with advocates of anti-union school "reform" has a few more points to make. October 8, 2010
• Answer No. 1: Stop scapegoating teachers
A SocialistWorker.org columnist explains what he wants to say--if he gets the chance--at a televised panel discussion on the future of teaching. September 27, 2010
• A Washington scandal in perspective
Two leading Black members of Congress are accused of violating ethical standards--but the biggest scandals in national politics are perfectly legal. August 18, 2010
• Anti-racist victim of a racist smear job
What happened to Shirley Sherrod highlights the explosive nature of the politics of race and racism in the U.S. today. July 26, 2010
• A rebel for a better world
Anyone who spent any time with Howard Zinn knows of his tremendous generosity of spirit, and of course, his legendary humor. February 5, 2010
• Who's afraid of the big, bad Zinn?
A conservative Web site accused the "people's historian" of perpetrating a distorted "version" of history, but it's the truth that they're scared of. December 16, 2009
• The charter school charade
At a fancy gala thrown by the Harlem Success Academy, I heard charter school supporters use the legacy of civil rights struggles to sell privatization. November 13, 2009
• Why the free market can't cure health care
If there's any idea worth rethinking, it's Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's claim that our needs are best met through the unfettered free market. September 3, 2009
• Who does Obama answer to?
There may be differences within the limits of "mainstream" ruling-class thinking, but figures like Obama would never challenge those limits themselves. July 29, 2009
• The voice of Harlem radicalism
Hubert Harrison, the Black socialist from the turn of the 20th century, was many things: author, editor, public speaker, educator and activist. July 6, 2009
• Using "civil rights" to sell charter schools
Wealthy proponents of charter schools claim they want to advance racial justice--even as public schools become more segregated. April 30, 2009
• Marx's vision of socialism
They're often called utopians, but Marx and Engels were the first to bring socialism down from the clouds and explain how it could be established in the real world. March 4, 2009
• Marx becomes a Marxist
Marx's Marxism is the theoretical product of his practical efforts to build a movement for change, and his observations of struggles taking place around him. February 25, 2009
• The return of Marx
In the last 150 years of U.S. history, you can't point to a generation whose most active, radical layers have not been drawn to the ideas of Karl Marx. February 16, 2009
• The King they won't celebrate
In the final years of his life, Martin Luther King presented a radical critique of U.S. society and campaigned for fundamental and far-reaching change. January 19, 2009
• Squeaky wheels get a victory Public housing residents in New York City scored a small but significant win because of their determination to speak out. January 12, 2009
• Making kids pay for the crisis
The plan to balance New York City's budget includes closing 19 community centers in public housing projects in all five boroughs. December 19, 2008
• Election Day in Harlem
In the dense crowd on 125th Street celebrating Barack Obama's election, I heard three words repeated, like a mantra, "WE did this! WE did this!" November 6, 2008
• Is the racist smear campaign working?
The Republicans may be galvanizing a hard-core racist base, but the attacks on Barack Obama are causing a backlash among wider numbers of people. October 21, 2008
• Script change for neoliberalism
After decades of railing about "personal responsibility," U.S. officials are seeking $700 billion for a handout--er, sorry, a "bailout" for Wall Street. September 23, 2008
• A life and death struggle
A victory in the courts might send strikers at the Kingsbridge Heights Rehabilitation Center back to work. But one striker, Audrey Smith-Campbell, will never return to that nursing home or any other. August 19, 2008
• Whose responsibility?
The idea that Blacks need to focus on personal responsibility, echoed by Barack Obama, distracts from the question of social responsibility. July 18, 2008
• The fable of the super-teacher
A closer look at a "small school" success story in New York City reveals the need for more staff, more funding and higher teachers' salaries. July 9, 2008
• Still separate and unequal
Half a century after the Supreme Court ruled segregated schools unconstitutional, they still exist--not on the fringe, but as the normal, accepted mode in U.S. schools. June 17, 2008
• The image and the reality of change
Barack Obama's success shows the American population has become more progressive, but it won't mean the end of racism and discrimination. May 21, 2008
• Fifty shots and found not guilty
According to Judge Arthur Cooperman, the three New York City police officers who killed Sean Bell weren't guilty of anything. May 2, 2008