Episode 357 of RevolutionZ presents chapter five of The Wind Cries Freedom plus some personal discussion of publishing priorities and reader/listener choices. From the oral history, Andre Goldman describes his path from academic to organizer and in doing so reveals how a campus boycott became a disciplined, scalable movement. His story has no lone hero; it’s built on strategy, solidarity, and a culture that turned participation into a mark of maturity rather than a fringe stance.

Along the way Andre refers to lessons he took from reading about the 1960s without romanticizing them: expand with intention, consolidate gains, and keep your organizing transparent if you want participatory democracy to be more than a slogan. Miguel draws out his take on how students in their time exposed militarized research, how campus workers reshaped demands toward shared governance, and how inter-campus coordination converted isolated protests into a coherent force. When administrators leaned on repression, “safety” threats, and prestige, the movement focused on raising the real costs of such behavior—documenting abuses, repeatedly returning stronger, and persistently building sympathy beyond the campus.

The biggest obstacle, Andre reports, was not tactical but psychological. Potential allies often agreed on facts and ethics but clung to the belief that victory was impossible or irrelevant. So, to dissent was pointless. Andre uses his experiences to describe the origins of that learned powerlessness and to show how movements undid it by linking small wins to a bigger strategy,, asking questions that stir conscience, and modeling a vision others want to join. Does Andre's discussion of a future struggle as part of this oral history provide provocative, useful insights for campus organizing, anti-militarism, democratic governance, and beating cynicism in our time? Does it reveal what concrete steps, courage, and discipline can accomplish together? If so, I think Miguel and Andre would say okay, in that case refine the insights, adapt them to your many varied situations, beat Trump and militarism. If not, I think Miguel and Andre would say, okay, generate your own more useful insights.

If Andre's stories and the lessons he took resonate for you, or even more important, if you think it would resonate for others, perhaps share the episode with a friend who thinks “nothing ever changes,” and perhaps even attach a comment with a lesson you feel you can take into your next action, or a proposed lesson which you instead think is confused or mistaken and needs to be improved or replaced. In other words listen, but then engage.

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Ep 356 of RevolutionZ begins with a few reflections on Arundhati Roy's memoir "Mother Mary Comes to Me." It praises her extraordinary prose and storytelling to show how powerful narrative can illuminate complex social realities. This brief visit to her work ends with a set of questions about her writing and, by extension, about all writing, including The Wind Cries Freedom. Why does a writer write? Why do we read?

Then from Chapter Five of The Wind Cries Freedom oral history, Goldman relays how his radicalization began in college economics classes. There he discovered a profound disconnect between academic theories and lived reality. "The discourse revolved around formal abstractions," he explains, "generally devoid of context or critical examination." This intellectual dissonance he felt slowly cracked his worldview and altered his life plans. He realized economics education functions largely to legitimize existing power structures rather than foster genuine understanding.

Two transformative events next accelerated Goldman's political awakening: an Olympia refinery occupation and a Schools for the People campaign. At Olympia, Goldman relates how workers seized control of an oil refinery and boldly declared their intention to convert it to solar panel production. In the Schools campaign, he takes us into a school assembly meeting where parents articulate powerful visions of the town school as a community center rather than "factories or prisons by day." Goldman hears there desire: "We want roses on our table, not diamonds on our neck," as one parent memorably stated. In both the struggles we see the motives and feelings of activist participants and also of the defensive owner and principal, respectively.

What makes Goldman's oral history account particularly valuable is his willingness to discuss psychological barriers to activism. He acknowledges how fear of social friction initially held him back, and how developing the courage to take visible stands was essential and required internal transformation. His journey illuminates not just what he came to fight for, but how he become involved and committed through concrete experiences and moral reflection. Does his journey resonate for you in our times?

Are you an ideologically well read seasoned activist or perhaps horrified by Trump and for the first time curious about social movements and their prospects? Either way, Goldman offers rich insights into effective organizing tactics, the importance of building solidarity across different constituencies, and the power of articulating positive visions rather than merely opposing injustice. So is Goldman's oral history account of campus boycotts, workplace occupations, and community campaigns from his time relevant to our times? Is the experience he shares with us worth discussing? Can we extract and refine or augment lessons useful for us? That is this episode's core question.

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Episode 355 of RevolutionZ has as guest DSA activist and former Massachusetts state representative Tom Gallagher to discuss how leftists too often "do the billionaires' work for them" by attacking allies over ideological purity.

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders face vicious criticism from fellow progressives with headlines like "AOC is a genocidal con artist" or "Bernie is a ghoulish Zionist," something has gone terribly wrong with movement politics. Gallagher dissects this suicidal tendency with the perspective of someone who's witnessed decades of progressive movements building and fracturing.

He describes how the Sanders campaigns temporarily broke through this cycle by demonstrating mass support for progressive policies and bringing people together around concrete goals. He contrasts this practical engagement with the sectarian tendencies that flourish especially in online spaces, where discourse lacks nuance and rewards extremism.

The episode examine the challenges facing organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America as they navigate questions of electoral strategy, ideological consistency, and practical governance. The example of Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign in New York serves as a test case. How can a socialist be an effective mayor while maintaining progressive principles.

Drawing on historical examples from Milwaukee's "sewer socialists" to the fragmentation of previous left movements, this discussion offers essential insights for anyone committed to building effective progressive power. Rather than treating disagreement as betrayal, Gallagher advocates recognizing common ground and directing our energy toward the actual systems of power and inequality that progressive movements exist to challenge.

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