Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Purdue University Northwest. Worked as rank-and-file printer on industrial shop floors for over 9 years-SF Bay Area, TN, KY
Northwest Indiana
Joined August 2019
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Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. nytimes.com/2026/09/28/opini…
I would have never dreamed that an article like this would be on the front page of the NY Times! Please share widely! This is important!
MAGA Wants To Ban His Books. Who Was Howard Zinn? znetwork.org/zvideo/maga-wan…
An excellent interview with Dave Zirin on his new book on Howard Zinn. Zinn, who I never got to meet, was an incredible person and Zirin captures this: highly recommended!
State of the Working Class in the Era of AI Armageddon znetwork.org/znetarticle/sta…
If you want to understand what's hitting the US employment- and economic-wise, this is a good place to start; it's not pretty. See my "Unions, Race, and Popular Democracy: Building a Progressive Labor Movement" (Cornell University Press, 2026) for some ideas of how to fight back!
From Union Struggle to Social Change: Lessons from Kim Scipes’ Progressive Labor Movement countercurrents.org/2026/09/…
Kayla Vasilko honored me with a stunning review of my book! Please feel free to share widely! And if your bookstore or your local library don't have it yet, ask them to order now!
Black Power, White Heat, and the Work of Solidarity znetwork.org/znetarticle/bla… I haven't read this book, but this review by Alexandria Shaner makes it look very important and one to seriously consider! Please share widely!
Review of Alfred W. McCoy's Cold War on Five Continents znetwork.org/znetarticle/alf… . This is a masterpiece of research on US efforts during the Cold War to dominate the world. Extremely clear and well-written: highly recommended! Please share widely!
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. nytimes.com/2026/08/29/opini…
Students in India come together to change things. Please watch: it is inspiring!
Developing Social Theory to Change the World: Empirical Evidence Against Structural-based Models of Society - CounterPunch.org counterpunch.org/2026/08/28/…
Friends--I just got a strong review by Steve Early of my new book: please share widely! newyorklaborhistory.org/unio…
As some of you know, I recently finished my new book, "Unions, Race, and Popular Democracy: Building a New Labor Movement," and it was published today at cornellpress.cornell.edu/boo… . That means its available now directly from the press or through booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble and even Walmart!
This is labor history of Chicago and Northwest Indiana, covering the years from 1933-1955, basically the CIO years. I do this through a comparative-historical study on unionization in the steel and meatpacking industries. What I found was radical differences between the two forms of unionism, and I tested by how they responded to a common problem--white supremacy and racism--in workplaces, union, and communities in which workers lived. The steelworkers ignored these issues, while the meatpackers confronted them: in 1939, in racist, segregated Chicago, out of 14 meatpacker local unions, 8 were headed by African Americans!
There is no book that I've ever found that is comparable, and I think folks will find of great interest. I'm also looking for speaking engagements in the Chicagoland area, but could do talks over zoom if interested. This is an ESSENTIAL book for all labor activists today. If interested, please contact me at [email protected] . You can also find out more about me at my website, https;//tinyurl.com/kim-scipes . I think anyone who cares about labor will find this a fascinating study! Thanks for your interest!
As some of you know, I recently finished my new book, "Unions, Race, and Popular Democracy: Building a New Labor Movement," and it was published today at cornellpress.cornell.edu/boo… . That means its available now directly from the press or through booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble and even Walmart!
This is labor history of Chicago and Northwest Indiana, covering the years from 1933-1955, basically the CIO years. I do this through a comparative-historical study on unionization in the steel and meatpacking industries. What I found was radical differences between the two forms of unionism, and I tested by how they responded to a common problem--white supremacy and racism--in workplaces, union, and communities in which workers lived. The steelworkers ignored these issues, while the meatpackers confronted them: in 1939, in racist, segregated Chicago, out of 14 meatpacker local unions, 8 were headed by African Americans!
There is no book that I've ever found that is comparable, and I think folks will find of great interest. I'm also looking for speaking engagements in the Chicagoland area, but could do talks over zoom if interested. This is an ESSENTIAL book for all labor activists today. If interested, please contact me at [email protected] . You can also find out more about me at my website, https;//tinyurl.com/kim-scipes . I think anyone who cares about labor will find this a fascinating study! Thanks for your interest!
New bio on the late Howard Zinn, an incredibly important US historian. Comments are also worth reading. If you haven't read Zinn--and especially his "People's History" of the US, I highly recommend Also, check out "Zinnophobia" by David Detmer, a critical analysis of right-wing opponents that shreds their so-called analysis.
An interesting article in NY Times today about poor people in this country. Worth a read: nytimes.com/2026/08/01/opini…
This is an important message to those who work anywhere in the country. And ESPECIALLY if you live in California, I urge you to read and see what you think!
An Open Letter to the California Labor Movement open.substack.com/pub/thejum…
Review of The Complicit Lens: US Media Coverage of Israel’s Genocide znetwork.org/znetarticle/rev…
My review of a book critical of how the media has handled the Israeli war against Gaza: really powerful book. You really get a sense of how much has been held from the US public. Please read. And if you think worthy, please share widely!
With Trump wanting another $37.5 Billion for the illegal and unconstitutional war on Iran, THAT HE STARTED along with Zionist Bibi Netanyahu on February 28, 2026, I thought I'd repost an article I had published in April that ties the assault on Iran with the assault on US workers. If you think worthy, please share widely! countercurrents.org/2026/04/…
For those wanting for information regarding the reality of climate change, see my "Climate Crisis, Environmental Destruction, and Social Justice: Resources" web site at pnw.edu/personal-faculty-pag…. As you can see, I've been collecting information and writing about it for years! And feel free to look around my entire website!
Kim Scipes, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Sociology
Purdue University Northwest
Westville, Indiana
I know this isn't sports or celebrity-related, but I taught a course on "The Environment and Social Justice" for a number of years at Purdue University Northwest in Westville, IN. Climate change is real, and Donald Trump doesn't know shit about what he's talking about. Watch this video: nytimes.com/video/opinion/10… . You can listen to well-established science or you can listen to Trump, but what are YOU going to tell your kids?
Kim Scipes, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Sociology
Purdue University Northwest
Trump’s Election Claims Land With a Whimper Among Republicans nytimes.com/2026/07/17/us/po…
This Thursday night, July 16, 2026, beginning at 4:00 pm PACIFIC time, LEPAIO will be presenting a panel on building global labor solidarity: details at laborfest.net/.../the-afl-ci… . (LEPAIO is the Labor Education Project on AFL-CIO International Operations, a group of trade unionists fighting the AFL-CIO's foreign policy and seeking to build labor solidarity with workers around the world.) This is part of Labor Fest, a month-long monthly celebration of working people and the trade union movement, based in the SF Bay Area.
For more information, go to LEPAIO web site: aflcio-int.education . Please share widely! See less