Michael Berkowitz

Michael Berkowitz, a veteran of the civil rights and anti-war movements, has been Land Use Planning Consultant to the government of China for many years. He taught Chinese and American History at the college level, worked with Eastern Kentucky Welfare Rights Org. with miners, and was an officer of SEIU.

LATEST ARTICLES BY Michael Berkowitz

Culture

‘Dark Winds’: Solving an American mystery
June 27, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
Sharp writing and strong acting keep Dark Winds from the tired soap opera that recent neo-Westerns like the popular Yellowstone saga became mired in.
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Culture

‘Under the Banner of Heaven’: Hell on Earth
June 16, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
Hulu’s new television series Under the Banner of Heaven is a powerful reconsideration of fundamentalist religion.
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Culture

‘Plague at the Golden Gate’: Public health and private ignorance
May 20, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
Director Li-shin Yu’s scientific moral tale of the battle against Bubonic Plague in San Francisco over a century ago might as well be the story of Dr. Fauci’s heroic struggle against COVID-19.
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Culture

‘Severance’: Alienation and its discontents
May 13, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
It’s only a job, not something that affects one’s actual self-worth or shapes their entire lives. Or is it?
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Arts

For artist Alice Neel, people always came first
April 4, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
Virtually ignored for much of her early career, Alice Neel’s life and work are beacons for socially conscious artists, especially women.
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En español

‘Zoot Suit Riots’: guerras culturales en tiempos de guerra en Los Ángeles
March 25, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
El caso ha pasado a la historia como un hito en la expresión del miedo racial y la presunción de culpabilidad. La policía y la prensa inflamaron las tensiones raciales enfatizando las diferencias culturales de la...
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Culture

‘Zoot Suit Riots’: Culture wars in wartime Los Angeles
March 25, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
Tovares deftly weaves the context around the resulting social upheaval, helping us understand the moral ambiguities of Los Angeles’ corrupt government, notorious police force, get-rich-quick land development schemes, and the diverse population trying to emerge from...
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Culture

Filmic gifts of Gugu: ‘Fast Color’ and ‘The Girl Before’
March 10, 2022 By Michael Berkowitz
One can only hope that Gugu will continue to use her extraordinary gifts, gracing our screens to advance such causes and further our understanding and action.
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