2022-10-11 12:17:39

"People Do Have Power": Frances Fox Piven at 90 on Movements & Preserving Democratic Rights

As the United States heads into another recession and labor organizing is surging, we speak with leading sociologist and longtime social movement scholar Frances Fox Piven as she turns 90 years old. "We're at another juncture: a bitter contest about democratic rights," says Piven, who claims the U.S. has always been a "limited democracy." Despite attacks on fundamental rights, Piven says, "people do have power" to organize and protect their rights, because "we live in a complex, integrated society where the activities of ordinary people really do matter." Piven's groundbreaking books include "Regulating the Poor" and "Poor People's Movements: Why They Succeed, How They Fail" with her late husband and collaborator Richard Cloward.

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

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Democracy Now! Frances Fox Piven Richard Cloward.

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