“What We Must Do Now”: Robert Reich’s Fiery Call for Solidarity at Berkeley Rally
On a crisp spring afternoon in Berkeley, thousands gathered beneath the towering Campanile bell tower to hear economist and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich deliver a speech that would reverberate far beyond the university’s iconic grounds. The April 17, 2025, rally—part protest, part call to action—centered on a question weighing heavily on the minds of progressives: What do we owe one another in a democracy under strain?
Reich, known for his unflinching critiques of economic inequality, didn’t mince words. “The greatest threat to our democracy isn’t a foreign power or a single politician,” he declared. “It’s the quiet erosion of our belief that we’re all in this together.” His message wove together threads of economic justice, civic responsibility, and the urgent need for collective action. Here’s what resonated most.
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1. The Illusion of “Separate Fates”
Reich opened with a stark observation: While corporations post record profits and billionaires fund space tourism, 40% of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency. “We’ve been sold a lie,” he argued, “that your success or failure is yours alone—that systemic barriers don’t exist, that luck plays no role.” This myth, he said, fuels resentment and division, making it easier for power brokers to pit groups against one another.
He pointed to recent legislation gutting public education funding and restricting union rights as examples of this divide-and-conquer strategy. “When teachers, nurses, and factory workers are told their struggles are unrelated, they’re less likely to unite. That’s by design.”
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2. Reclaiming Power from “Citizens United” to Citizens, United
A key theme was corporate dominance in politics. Reich lambasted the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which allowed unlimited corporate spending in elections. “Money isn’t speech,” he asserted. “When corporations drown out the voices of ordinary voters, democracy becomes a auction.”
But he didn’t stop at critique. Reich highlighted grassroots victories: states passing resolutions to overturn Citizens United, cities adopting public campaign financing, and worker-owned cooperatives thriving in sectors from energy to healthcare. “Power isn’t given,” he reminded the crowd. “It’s taken—through organizing, striking, voting, and refusing to look away.”
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3. The New Labor Movement: Beyond Traditional Unions
While praising unions as “the most effective anti-poverty program ever invented,” Reich acknowledged their limitations in a gig economy. “We need to redefine ‘worker’ in the 21st century,” he said. This means fighting for portable benefits that follow individuals across jobs, antitrust enforcement to check monopolistic employers, and laws protecting gig workers from algorithmic exploitation.
He also emphasized cross-union solidarity, citing recent strikes where teachers, truckers, and tech workers supported one another’s demands. “When Amazon warehouse workers walk out, it’s not just their fight—it’s ours. Their victory lifts all wages.”
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4. Education as a Battleground—and a Beacon
As a professor at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, Reich reserved sharp words for attacks on public education. “Defunding schools, banning books, and rewriting history curricula aren’t just about budgets or culture wars,” he said. “They’re about manufacturing ignorance. An uneducated populace is easier to manipulate.”
He urged students and faculty to defend academic freedom while making universities more accessible. “Free community college, debt forgiveness, and apprenticeships aren’t luxuries. They’re investments in a citizenry capable of critical thinking.”
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5. “Hope is a Muscle”—Actions Over Platitudes
The speech’s most electrifying moment came when Reich addressed critics who label progressive ideas as “unrealistic.” “Universal healthcare was ‘unrealistic’ until the 1960s. Marriage equality was ‘unrealistic’ until 2015. Unrealistic is just another word for ‘haven’t fought hard enough yet,’” he said, igniting cheers.
He outlined immediate steps for the audience:
– Vote in every election, especially local ones shaping school boards and labor laws.
– Join or support a union, even if you’re not unionized.
– Pressure corporations by boycotting union-busters and investing in ethical banks.
– Run for office at any level. “Democracy isn’t a spectator sport.”
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The Road Ahead
Reich closed with a story about his mentor, the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who often quoted George Bernard Shaw: “Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’”
“But dreaming isn’t enough,” Reich added. “We need to build. To repair. To insist—loudly, relentlessly—that no one gets left behind.” As the crowd spilled out into Sproul Plaza, the site of 1960s Free Speech Movement protests, his final words lingered: “What we must do now isn’t complicated. It’s just hard. And it’s ours to do.”
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In an era of fragmented attention spans and cynicism, Reich’s Berkeley rally served as a reminder: Progress isn’t inevitable, but neither is despair. The choices we make—in polling booths, workplaces, and communities—will determine whether democracy becomes a relic or a revolution.
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