Adolph Reed Jr.

Columnist

Adolph Reed Jr. is a columnist for The Nation and most recently co-author with Walter Benn Michaels of No Politics but Class Politics (Eris Press, 2023). He appears on the Class Matters podcast.

House And Senate Democrats Unveil Policing Reform And Equal Justice Legislation

The Mass Movement That Never Came The Mass Movement That Never Came

Four years after the “Summer of George Floyd,” the political climate has cooled.

Aug 27, 2024 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

Unhoused senior citizens call a homeless advocate from at Tussing Park in Grants Pass, Oregon. on Thursday. March 28, 2024.

The Liberal Consensus on Homelessness Got Us Here The Liberal Consensus on Homelessness Got Us Here

The housing crisis is the logical outcome of real estate speculation and expanding unemployment—not an inevitable fact of life.

Jun 12, 2024 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

Donald Trump Rally with Joe Biden video

Why I’m Voting for the Enemy Why I’m Voting for the Enemy

The left needs to challenge Biden, especially on US involvement in Gaza. But to do that, we need to keep him in office.

Mar 19, 2024 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin Was No Hollywood Figurehead Bayard Rustin Was No Hollywood Figurehead

The new biopic about the socialist organizer stops at the March on Washington. What is it leaving out?

Dec 12, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

The Origins of Race Reductionism

The Origins of Race Reductionism The Origins of Race Reductionism

Today’s conversation around inequality traces back to the compromises made in the late civil rights movement.

Oct 31, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

How Inequality Was Redefined as “Poverty”—Letting Capitalism Off the Hook

How Inequality Was Redefined as “Poverty”—Letting Capitalism Off the Hook How Inequality Was Redefined as “Poverty”—Letting Capitalism Off the Hook

In the 1960s, policy shifted from calling for the redistribution of wealth to enforcing an ideology of personal responsibility.

Sep 5, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

Bakke Case Spectator Line

The Uses of Affirmative Action The Uses of Affirmative Action

The right denounced it as "reverse racism," while the liberal center hailed it as the endpoint of egalitarianism. But as a limited measure in the fight against discrimination, it ...

Aug 9, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

young people hold colorful posters that read: our generation our choice

Is It Useful to Analyze Politics in Terms of Generations? Is It Useful to Analyze Politics in Terms of Generations?

Keir Milburn argues that generational analysis can provide clues to the operation of class while Adolph Reed Jr. writes that it can obscure historically specific social relations.

Jul 14, 2023 / The Debate / Keir Milburn and Adolph Reed Jr.

Kennedy Welcoming The Leaders Of The 1963 Civil Rights March On Washington

From Full Employment to Racial Democracy From Full Employment to Racial Democracy

In the second half of the 20th century, Black politics began to shift away from its focus on economic inequality.

Jun 29, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

A. Phillip Randolph speaks

When Racial Justice Meant Universal Social Benefits When Racial Justice Meant Universal Social Benefits

The left used to believe that reducing inequality across the board was the best way to combat racial injustice. What happened?

May 17, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

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