Whether we're talking about armed uprisings, mass civil disobedience, or actions carried out by much smaller groups of people, current events and history are full of stories of resistance.
"When you fight, you win" may not quite be actually true, even if it's a good slogan. But regardless of whether making the effort always gets the desired results, resistance in its many forms often leads to positive changes that wouldn't have happened otherwise.
The themes I explore in this episode include:
When the Ottoman Navy rescued as many as 800,000 Spanish Jews in 1492
The Merthyr Rising in Wales in 1831
The Rent Strike Wars in New York State in the 1840's
The resistance to British occupation by the Irish Republican Army in the 1970's and 1980's
The blockade of Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1993
Muslim-Christian solidarity on the Kenya-Somalia border in 2015
Palestine Action's continuing resistance to Elbit Systems' efforts to supply the Israeli war machine with weaponry
The resistance of Ansar Allah, aka the Houthi Army, in solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza on the Red Sea
Northeast US Tour!
I leave for Boston with my family on Tuesday, to visit family and friends in the part of the world where I grew up, and for me to do a little concert tour. If you know anyone in Massachusetts, Connecticut, or New York, please tell them about it!
I’m actively planning tours in other parts of the world as well — such as May in Oregon, June/July in Australia, August in California, November in Scandinavia, and March 2025 in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. If you live in any of these places and might like to organize something, I’d love to hear from you!
"Up the Rebels" session 1