Michael Koncewicz, “Tom Hayden’s Legacy and the New American Left” | The Nation

On October 23rd, 2026, IPK’s Associate Director Michael Koncewicz penned a piece for The Nation titled “Tom Hayden’s Legacy and the New American Left” Read the excerpt below, then click for the full article.

Tom Hayden passed away 10 years ago, on October 23, 2016, just weeks before Trump’s unexpected victory. As a result, his worst fears of an authoritarian right’s limiting the gains of the 1960s came true. Still, his life has become an even more relevant case study for those trying to figure out the most effective way to resist the current administration’s assault on democracy. As a lifelong insider-outsider, a Freedom Rider who later advised presidential candidates, Hayden was a passionate proponent of both radical direct action and electoral campaigns. Whether in the streets of American cities fighting back against ICE or in the offices of activist politicians like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Mayor Zohran Mamdani, today’s progressives are finding creative ways to build on the work of Hayden’s generation. As memory of the Vietnam War era fades, a reexamination of ecumenical organizers like him will strengthen our understanding of the links between the victories and defeats of the past and today’s attempts to build a better democracy.

Read the full article here.

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