YSU Center for Working Class Studies

05/06/2026

We are just two days away from this free event! Join us as we re-launch this important and timely initiative...
Mahoning Valley Civic Forum

05/03/2026

The Industrial Revolution's chief product was not goods, but a new class of laborers who owned nothing and worked to survive.

Historian Peter Linebaugh traces the creation of this working class through the violent enclosure of the commons they once relied on. https://jacobin.com/2026/05/commons-enclosure-working-class-history

05/01/2026

05/01/2026

Check out the latest episode of Unruly Subjects hosted by AAUP Council member Chenjerai Kumanyika: “Getting Unruly on May Day: Education Workers, Labor Power, and the Fight Ahead":

First, Chenjerai interviews: AAUP President Todd Wolfson; AFT Massachusetts President and former Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang, and Carl Rosen, who recently retired as General President of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). Todd, Jessica, and Carl talk about May Day as more than symbolism. They talk about it as part of building the infrastructure we need: labor, civil society, public institutions, community organizations, immigrant rights groups, education workers, and ordinary people finding ways to move together before a crisis hits.

Second, Our Unruly homie - the scholar and poet Demetrius Noble - talks with Carla Harris, a public school teacher and organizer in Guilford County, North Carolina. They discuss the everyday realities of working in public education and also about organizing in practical terms: how you talk to a coworker who is tired, scared, skeptical, or has never been asked to act before.

Link in comments.

04/29/2026

The rise of populism has, in turn, been lauded as the defeat of neoliberalism.

But while the old world may be dead, what does the new world that is struggling to be born look like?

Join renowned philosopher and political theorist Wendy Brown in conversation with anarchist Sophie Scott Brown as they discuss how antidemocratic politics intertwine with neoliberal economics to create the political climate we see today.

If we are to save democracy and forge a path to political renewal, Brown argues, we need to recognise that it must be embedded in our economic lives.

Tap here to watch now. https://iai.tv/video/democracy-in-the-ruins-of-neoliberalism

04/28/2026

We are excited and proud to announce the long awaited launch of our awesome Youngstown Solidarity Lending Library this Friday May 1 at 7pm as part of the sixth annual Youngstown May Day Fest 2026 at the Calvin Center for the Arts (755 Mahoning Ave). Our ribbon cutter will be the legendary civil rights and labor activist Alice Lynd, who has been a huge support of this project since day one. We can't wait to have you be part of this amazing new project. Please follow our page and check our links on how to donate books, become a member, and maybe even become a librarian! Let's build solidarity, forever!

10/03/2025

Youngstown, this one’s extra special 💙 After last month’s basement flood, Rev. Gill & The Fishermen decided to turn their bill into a benefit for Westside Bowl. They rallied friends to make it happen, and now we’ve got a stacked lineup raising funds to support the venue that supports its community.

🎵 Lake Lake — jagged yet catchy indie rock, weaving noise and groove into cathartic songs (Proxy Joy).
🎵 Rev. Gill & The Fishermen — Youngstown’s own, blurring genres with sharp wit and soulful edge—plus the masterminds behind this benefit.
🎵 Fear of Dancing — post-punk/noise-rock from the Mahoning Valley, equal parts hooks and chaos.
🎵 Via Guillotine — Niles-based alt-rock with driving riffs and raw energy.

Come out, chip in, and be part of keeping Westside Bowl strong. 🙌

Soaked In Sound: A Benefit at the Westside Bowl

09/19/2025

This work is amazing!

The Northeast Ohio Worker Center hosted four collective bargaining simulations in 2025. This is a recap video of the August 5th simulation in the Mahoning V...