EUGENE VICTOR DEBS (1855-1926) was one of the greatest and most articulate advocates of workers’ power to have ever lived. During the early years of the labor movement in the United States, Debs was far ahead of his times, leading the formation of the American Railway Union (ARU) and the American Socialist Party.
Debs was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 5, 1855. He left home at 14 to work on the railroad and soon became interested in union activity. As president of the American Railway Union, he led a successful strike against the Great Northern Railroad in 1894. Two months later he was jailed for his role in a strike against the Chicago Pullman Palace Car Company. While in jail, Socialist and future Congressman Victor Berger talked with Debs and introduced him to the ideas of Marx and socialism. When he was released from prison, he announced that he was a Socialist.
He soon formed the Social Democratic Party, which eventually became the Socialist Party in 1901. He became their perennial presidential candidate. He ran on the Socialist ticket in 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920 when he received his highest popular vote—about 915,000 (3.4%)—from within a prison cell. He had been arrested once again, this time for “sedition”; because he opposed World War I. Many Socialists were imprisoned during this time because they felt that the war was being fought for the profits of the rich, but with the blood of the poor. Debs was fortunately released in 1921.
Debs died in Elmhurst, Illinois, on October 20, 1926, but he is remembered to this day by countless labor activists from all over the political spectrum. The Eugene V. Debs Foundation works to continue his legacy into the 21st century...
To learn more about Debs and his life, read Stephen Marion Reynolds’ Biography of Eugene V. Debs for a full accounting of his life and times.
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Were Che t-shirts ever a popular thing?
Because I've never seen someone actually wearing one outside, but some people sure are angry about it.
EDIT: All the replies making me realise I'm just a bit too young to remember the Che fashion era
Yeah they had a moment in the early 00’s, pretty cool ngl
I bought one when I was visiting Cuba, I think it was right after I saw the bulldozer of the revolution and the armoured train it took out
Absolutely
Yeah, way back in like the 90s or the 00s. It's one of those things reactionaries latched on to and never let go of.
A number of people would wear them in my highschool but I haven't seen any since
Reactionaries are always fighting the last culture war (or the one before that). They're still obsessed with university activism from the time of the Vietnam War
one of my classes has a TA that wears a che shirt
~10 years ago you'd see t-shirts, coasters, fridge magnets, bandanas, pretty much anything
his iconic beret was also pretty popular
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara_in_fashion