Rachel Herzing's Posts

Welcome Thomas!

January 15, 2021

We’re excited to welcome Thomas Mariadason as CPE’s interim executive director.  Learn more about him below.   Eighteen years ago or so, I walked into a third-floor office above a salon and saree shop in Jackson Heights, Queens. It was my first day volunteering with the Youth Power program at DRUM, a small base-building organization of immigrants resisting the xenophobic backlash and imperialist expansion of the “war on terror.”
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Key Lessons for Building Power during the Elections

October 28, 2020

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With the last days of the elections upon us, leftists and progressives have been getting ourselves ready for the immediate task ahead: defeating white-supremacist authoritarianism while strengthening our own forces. Some of us are leading voter turnout efforts locally and in swing states, others are getting ready to keep our communities safe from intimidation at the ballot box, and some are continuing to do work outside of the electoral arena, whether in the form of community organizing, mutual aid, or campaigning.
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Why I’ll Be Tuning into the Black National Convention

August 28, 2020

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Categories: Blog
I’ll be tuning into the Black National Convention (BNC) today (8.28.20). There has been lots of talk lately about Black people—assumptions about how and if we’ll vote, reports about the differential impacts of the pandemic on our health, assertions about the meanings of this summer’s uprisings and judgements about the tactics, demands, and messages advanced through those rebellions.
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Marxism 101 Coming Soon!

August 11, 2020

Categories: Uncategorized
***ACCESSIBILITY INFO BELOW*** As we live through a pandemic, economic crisis, and widespread rebellion, do you want to learn more about how Marxist conceptions of historical change, political struggle, and liberation relate to the most pressing issues of our day? Over 150 years ago philosopher, economist, and activist Karl Marx’s work and thought on the root causes of these same issues went on to change history, with his ideas driving some of the most momentous political struggles in the last century against capitalism, racism, and imperialism.
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Political Education in a Time of Rebellion

June 3, 2020

Categories: Blog
As thousands of people across the world protest in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis cops, it’s clear that we need the both the expressions of rage and frustration, and solidarity and care that have been communicated by the uprisings.
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CPE response to the COVID-19 coronavirus

March 11, 2020

Dear Friends of CPE, As we hear more details about the spread of COVID-19 and learn more about the recommended precautions for preventing the virus’ spread, we have decided to temporarily suspend the Center’s in-person, public programming. We will continue to host our smaller study groups online and are continuing to plan for future classes and programs.
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Turning My World Upside Down

December 19, 2019

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Since I began interning with the Center for Political Education 3 months ago, the world as I know it has turned upside-down. As someone with essentially zero movement experience who just recently began blooming into critical consciousness, I was timid about applying for an internship in the first place.
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Preserving Left History for Whom?

August 20, 2019

Center for Political Education is in solidarity with the #PaintItDown organizers, who have been calling for the removal of Victor Arnautoff’s “Life of Washington” murals at George Washington High School, citing its dehumanizing portrayal of Black and Indigenous people and detrimental impact on the well-being of the students of color who have to engage with the mural on a daily basis.
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CPE Welcomes a New Staff Member

July 26, 2019

Dear Friends, CPE is excited to announce that we have hired a new staff member. Jazmín Delgado will be joining CPE as our Program Coordinator in mid-August. Jazmín’s political smarts and facilitation skills will be important contributions to CPE.  We’re looking forward to Jazmín coming on to support our work and to introducing them to our community as we continue to develop programs that are relevant and useful for Bay Area movements and organizations.

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Donate to CPE today!

June 13, 2019

CPE needs you!  We are able to run classes, host events and conferences, and support organizational development because of the support we receive from our community.  Make a donation to CPE today and support stronger, more effective movements for social change.
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CPE Summer Class: Unraveling the Right

May 23, 2019

UNRAVELING THE RIGHT – A Seminar for Organizers and Activists in the Trump Era Does the rise of white nationalism keep you awake at night? Are you troubled by the ascent to power of so many authoritarian leaders across the globe?
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CPE is hiring!

March 14, 2019

CPE is looking for a new co-director, as Isaac Ontiveros has transitioned out of his position.  While we’ll miss the insight, skill, and analysis that Isaac has brought to the position during the past couple years, we’re excited to bring someone on to continue CPE’s work and contribute new energy and perspective. 
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We Need a Media Intern

March 3, 2019

GOT MEDIA SKILLS? CPE is looking for a media intern to help us document and promote our programming.  We are looking for someone with an interest in social change, political education, and media-making.  This is what we need help with: Video documenting CPE programming Livestreaming CPE programming Photo documenting CPE programming Editing and uploading video/images to CPE social media platforms Helping to coordinate others to document CPE programming Contributing to the production of CPE’s podcast You don’t need to be pro, but having at least some equipment, skills, and excitement for this type of work would be helpful.
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Spirit of ’68 Reader Now Available!

November 30, 2018

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In July 2018, the Center for Political Education offered The Spirit of ’68: Lessons from the Worldwide Revolution, a four-part study of the politics of 1968 and its lessons for today’s struggles. CPE offers this online reader as a companion to the class.
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Join CPE’s $20 for 20 Years Campaign

June 18, 2018

Has there ever been a more important time for organizations and movements to have the support and tools to fight smarter and more effectively?  CPE is up to the challenge of working with groups to get into their best fighting form, but we need your help to keep CPE going strong.
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