So who is this guy? Well, my name is Bob "Bobbo" Simpson. I am semi-retired and working... more
So who is this guy? Well, my name is Bob "Bobbo" Simpson. I am semi-retired and working on my writing hobby. I still work part time for WebTrax Studio which has a bunch of cool people associated with it. WebTrax mostly does work for unions, non-profit groups, social advocacy organizations and educational institutions.
I also write gags for labor cartoonist Estelle Carol. Together we publish them in union and alternative publications under the name Carol*Simpson.
I was born in Washington DC and grew up in the Maryland suburbs. I attended the University of Maryland and raised hell as a member of the Students for a Democratic Society. I also had my first union experience there as an AFSCME member under the enlightened leadership of Gladys Jefferson.
I moved to the Chicagoland area in 1975 and have lived here ever since. I spent 20 years teaching English and history on Chicago\'s South Side. I met a a lot of savvy working class young people whose intelligence and insights will be shaping this nation for many years to come.
I also worked as a U.S. Forest Service trail crew volunteer helping build and maintain trails through some achingly gorgeous areas of North America.
I\'m an old fashioned labor socialist which makes me an genuine anachronism in our Brave New 21st Century. Yeah..... I know. Most union members don\'t even know the words to "Solidarity Forever" and union members are only a small minority of the American workforce.
So what. We\'re fighting for labor\'s comeback despite the obstacles and whatever the odds. What else can we do? We live in a dog-eat-dog cat-eat-mouse economy and right now the labor movement is the only real civilizing force that stands between us and total barbarism. You think that\'s an exaggeration? Believe me, you wouldn\'t want to be around if the labor movement packs it in and gives up.
I have two kids: one just graduated from college and the other is in high school. They and their contemporaries sure deserve better than joining a slave labor force scratching out a living on a dying planet.
But enough doom and gloom. I first became a social activist in the 1960\'s and I know that people can rise to the occasion when they have to.
