#class justice

[standwithdaanes]

from Lêgerin #18 “What is Socialism?” August–September 2025.

[hellyeahanarchistposters]

[millennialwriter00-blog]

About “The Medicine Show.”

Melissa Etheridge, a singer who started her career in music in the 1980s-90s, was arrested alongside Todd Rungen at the North Dakota/Canada border for possession of marijuana. This, of course, is unquestionably an unjust arrest, seeing as Melissa uses her cannabis for management of post chemo and post cancer pain. This arrest occurred in 2017, and both celebrities were released soon after.

I shouldn’t have to even say that it’s wrong these two were arrested for using medicine. In my personal opinion, it would be like someone arresting me for using my zoloft to treat my anxiety. This is a medicine for Melissa. This is necessary for her.

A few years later, Melissa has created an album about her experiences with cannabis and plant medicine as well as her arrest. This is amazing! I am proud of her for speaking out and trying to destigmatize cannabis.

But there’s something important to note here. Melissa Etheridge has privilege. Controversial word, I know. But it’s true! She is very much white and very much rich and famous. These are very likely the reasons why she was able to escape jail so quickly and make a literal album about her experiences. Can you imagine what would happen if a black person or poc got arrested for using cannabis as medicine? Or even, for that matter, a poor white person? They sure as hell wouldn’t be making an album and profiting off their experiences. It is very, very likely that instead, they would be stuck in jail and possibly killed.

Police brutality is a very common threat to black and brown people and working class cannabis users (whether their usage is medicinal or recreational). If black people are shot for something as small as speeding or having a legal weapon in their car for self defense (think back to Philando Castille), think about what happens every day to some of these non-violent cannabis users.

The fact that Etheridge was able to make an album about her experiences is peak rich white privilege. The fact that cannabis sellers and dispensaries are white and white owned is peak rich white privilege. To be clear, I don’t think it’s wrong or inherently bad for Melissa to use cannabis or speak openly about her experiences. I just think that if she doesn’t use her privilege to promote racial justice and cannabis justice, that is wrong and we should be critical of her.

[fuckyeahanarchistposters]

[ghooostbaby]

[bae-guevara]

Instead of Columbus Day, Italian-Americans Should Celebrate Sacco and Vanzetti Day on August 23

Forget Columbus: How About Sacco and Vanzetti Day?

If Italians want to celebrate our heritage, we must honor Indigenous peoples.

There's a clear connection between Sacco and Vanzetti’s experience and those of oppressed people everywhere. Their story is one of discrimination, class justice, betrayal, poverty and exploitation.

[eideard]

"Affluenza" teen and momma busted in Mexico

“Affluenza” teen and momma busted in Mexico

❝A Texas woman and her son, a teen known for invoking an “affluenza” defense after a deadly drunken driving wreck, held a sort of farewell party before fleeing his probation, driving to the Mexican border and trying to disguise themselves… Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said 18-year-old Ethan Couch and his mother, who were detained Monday in the Pacific Coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta,…

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[therootsproject]

Lessons from Bayard Rustin: Why Economic Justice Is an LGBT Issue

As we commemorate the March on Washington’s 50th anniversary, much work remains to realize the late Bayard Rustin’s vision for peace, justice, and economic equity for all, and especially for black LGBT Americans.

"Anti-bullying legislation will not boost educational outcomes if the school-to-prison pipeline persists. Workplace nondiscrimination policies fall flat in the face of alarmingly high rates of black unemployment. And expanded family recognition, marriage equality or otherwise, hardly offers an immediate reprieve from the daily despair of poverty. It is also essential, therefore, that we work beyond the silos of an LGBT agenda to tackle the broader societal issues of racial and economic justice."