Workers World Editor Deirdre Griswold at the WWP forum in New York City, December 15, 2016.

Gloria Rubac: After an outcry by community activists and academics, the Texas state Board of Education on Nov. 16 rejected by a 14-0 vote a textbook submitted for teaching Mexican-American history. The book characterizes Mexican-Americans as “lazy” and defines Chicanos as violent and Latinos as uneducated, arguing that nothing of importance ever came to the U.S. from south of the Texas border.

Rebecka Jackson-Moeser: An artist’s job is to challenge. To make you uncomfortable, to make you question. For those who say art is not political, they don’t know shit about art. Art was always, and still is, a space to critique the ruling class.

Joe Catron: HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise split last year, but continue to share interlocking branding, governance, infrastructure, supply chains and technology. Both also hold extensive contracts with the Israeli government, providing services to its checkpoints, military, population registry, prisons and settlements.

Joseph Piette: Led by a colorful banner demanding freedom for imprisoned Native leader Leonard Peltier, over 500 #NoDAPL activists and Indigenous warriors and leaders rallied and marched in Washington, D.C., on Human Rights Day, Dec. 10. Peltier’s eldest son, Chauncey Peltier, speaking on the dangers of corporate power over water, demanded President Obama put an end to the Dakota Access Pipeline and also grant executive clemency to his father.

John Catalinotto: Nearly 70 percent of eligible voters in Italy turned out to vote on a referendum on changes to the constitution on Dec. 5 that would strengthen the executive office and the larger parties. Nearly 60 percent voted “No,” which both rejected the proposed changes and forced the young Democratic Party Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to resign.

While the referendum has some surface similarities to last June’s Brexit vote, it has a different political content. In Britain, a major focus of the Brexit victory was a reactionary, anti-immigrant appeal. Not so in Italy.

A ballot initiative that would have made the state’s “right-to-work” (for less!) law part of the state constitution was defeated in Virginia on Nov. 8. It was an important victory for poor and working people everywhere.

The Virginia AFL-CIO and its affiliates, along with community supporters, including members of the Southern Workers Assembly, worked across the state for months to defeat Amendment 1, even as millions of dollars were poured into the state by anti-union, racist, Wall Street forces such as the Koch brothers’ American Legislative Exchange Council.

On behalf of Wall Street and Big Oil, Washington is carrying out a war against children in Donbass and other regions and countries. This war is here at home too, through cutbacks, racist police brutality, Islamophobia and jailing of immigrants, including children, fleeing U.S. military and economic crimes in Central America.

Emergency solidarity action tonight!

Members of PPA, NYC Shut It Down and Bashback were assaulted last night in Tribeca by a group of racist, homophobic Trump supporters. Come out to show we stand with our comrades!

Teresa Gutierrez: Fidel was not loved because “Love trumps hate.” Fidel was loved because he built a revolution.

Standing Rock has caught the imagination of the world: a resurgent Indigenous movement, which has been leading many battles in the U.S. and Canada; a fighting veterans’ movement, re-emerging as a powerful force; a large contingent of young people of many colors from all over, selflessly devoting themselves to the struggle; networks being activated around the country and the world. All coming together in a coalition that, in the context of the global economic and financial crisis, just might be able to take on a powerful oil company that is threatening to poison the water, and defeat it.