War on California, United Farm Workers, and Leaving the “Lockheed Left” w/ Antonio De Loera | Ep. 244
The Trump administration’s troop deployments to California are in defense of surging ICE raids against farm workers and immigrant communities across the state—a straightforward project of white supremacy meant to discipline the entire American labor force.
But Antonio De Loera—communications director for the legendary United Farm Workers (UFW) union—also sees this as a larger war on American identity, America’s claim to global primacy, and even America’s humanity. Van and Antonio talk about:
How the United Auto Workers union helped birth the UFW;
Working on the Julian Castro for President campaign in 2019;
Serving as a special assistant to Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the Biden administration;
The foreign policy implications of ICE raids; and
Why he ultimately fell out of love with the “Lockheed Left.”
Get the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on YouTube.
Hey Van, there is a left counter-argument to the 'New Deal was racist' theory. This is from Catalyst, Jacobin's long-form essay journal: https://catalyst-journal.com/2024/06/race-and-the-new-deal
I'm not 100% convinced, but...well, now you know!