Public Employee Press

Solidarity for the holidays:
You can give gifts of art

Why not share your values of solidarity and militancy by giving something big, visible and union for the holidays?

A good place to look is the catalog of the Northland Poster Collective at www.northlandposter.com, where the passion for justice meets the power of art.

Maybe give a giant poster of Mother Jones, A. Philip Randolph, Cesar Chavez, Joe Hill, Malcolm X, Lucy Parsons or Harriet Tubman. There are also reproductions of murals by Ralph Fasanella and Pablo Picasso.

The many thematic posters include some by Northland resident artist Ricardo Levins Morales, whose Katrina poster is reproduced at left. Other themes include privatization, Social Security, organizing, labor history, anti-war, racism and women’s rights.

Most Northland posters are very affordable, and to make a more personal gift you can frame them. They also offer notepads, mouse pads, buttons, bumper stickers, baby bibs, mugs and T-shirts.

Northland is a workers’ cooperative celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Their commitment to labor and human rights means that union workers, not the victims of the “new” sweatshop economy, produce their work.

Other places to go for holiday solidarity gifts like music and books include the AFL-CIO Store (http://unionshop.aflcio.org/shop/index.cfm) and the Labor Heritage Society (www.laborheritage.org).

Many of the gifts on all three sites are appropriate for the young agitators among your family and friends.

— Ken Nash
DC 37 Ed Fund Library
Rm. 211