WATCH: “American Nativism: Past and Present” with Mae Ngai

+ Renewing the Lineage of Nonviolent Movement + documentary on Chilean uprising + Social Change Fellows

In this week’s issue of The Platypus,

• We feature Harry’s new 11-minute documentary, “American Nativism, Past and Present,” in which the renowned Columbia University historian Mae Ngai advances an important new interpretation of the historical causes and conditions that have given rise to hateful anti-immigrant politics in U.S. history. After applying her theory to the period of Chinese Exclusion, the restrictionism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the nativist upsurge today, Ngai concludes with hopeful reflections about the future of immigrant rights in our country.

The non-profit Re-imagining Migration is creating a lesson plan around this video and will be helping us to get it seen by teachers and students around the U.S. But we also welcome other distribution partners, so please be in touch if you know an organization or group that would like to screen it. And please, of course, share it on social media. One final request: the documentary is based on Mae Ngai’s chapter in Immigration Matters: Movements, Visions, and Strategies for a Progressive Future, and, if you haven’t done so already, you can buy the book here.

• The Forge just published “Renewing the Lineage of Nonviolent Movement,” our review of Erica Chenoweth’s new book Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know, an essential guide for all of us working against the global rise in authoritarianism. 

• We recently watched the new documentary Primera, a remarkable grassroots perspective on the social uprising in Chile. What began in 2019 as a student-led protest over subway fare hikes has culminated in a new constitution whose fate hinges on a nationwide vote this September. Join the filmmakers and activists from Chile for a screening and Q&A — both in person and on Zoom — on June 9 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. E.T. Here’s a link for more info and a link to register. The event is sponsored by Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice and the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.

• CUNY’s Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice is launching the Fall 2022 Social Change Fellows program. The program will provide special training, support, mentoring, and career services for emerging social justice leaders. The weekend programs will include opportunities to learn from seasoned national leaders in movements for social change about everything from strategy and power to the history of social movements. Here’s a link to register for the information session that will be held on Wednesday, June 15th at 6 pm via Zoom. Zoom information will be sent a few days prior to the session.