Andrew Kopkind
Encyclopedia
Andrew Kopkind was an American journalist. He was renowned for his reporting during the tumultuous years of the late 1960s; he wrote about the anti-Vietnam War
protests, American Civil Rights Movement
, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
, Students for a Democratic Society
, the Black Panther Party
, the Weathermen
, President Johnson
's "Great Society
" initiatives, and California gubernatorial campaign of Ronald Reagan
.
Kopkind was born in New Haven, Connecticut
. He received a B.A.
from Cornell University
(1957), where he was editor of the Cornell Daily Sun.
From 1958 to 1959, Kopkind worked as a reporter for the Washington Post. He then studied at the London School of Economics
, receiving an M.S.
in 1961.
In 1961, Kopkind joined staff of Time Magazine, reporting mainly from California. From 1965 to 1967, he was associate editor of The New Republic
; from 1965 to 1969 he was a correspondent for New Statesman
. In 1968, he founded Hard Times and worked briefly for Ramparts (1970).
In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
From the 1970s onwards, he contributed regularly to The Village Voice
, New York Review of Books, The Nation
, and Grand Street.
In the early 1970s he and his long-time companion, John Scagliotti
, hosted the "Lavender Hour," the first commercial gay/lesbian radio show.
Kopkind died of cancer in 1994, at age 59.
Kopkind authored two books: America: The Mixed Curse (1969) and The Thirty Years' Wars: Dispatches and Diversions of a Radical Journalist, 1965-1994, an anthology of his writing which was published posthumously in 1995, with an introduction by Alexander Cockburn
.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
protests, American Civil Rights Movement
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
, Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
, the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
, the Weathermen
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
, President Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
's "Great Society
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson and fellow Democrats in Congress in the 1960s. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice...
" initiatives, and California gubernatorial campaign of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Kopkind was born in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
(1957), where he was editor of the Cornell Daily Sun.
From 1958 to 1959, Kopkind worked as a reporter for the Washington Post. He then studied at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, receiving an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1961.
In 1961, Kopkind joined staff of Time Magazine, reporting mainly from California. From 1965 to 1967, he was associate editor of The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
; from 1965 to 1969 he was a correspondent for New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
. In 1968, he founded Hard Times and worked briefly for Ramparts (1970).
In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
From the 1970s onwards, he contributed regularly to The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, New York Review of Books, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, and Grand Street.
In the early 1970s he and his long-time companion, John Scagliotti
John Scagliotti
John Scagliotti is an American film director and producer, and radio broadcaster. He has won awards for his work on documentaries about LGBT issues including Before Stonewall and After Stonewall.-Biography:...
, hosted the "Lavender Hour," the first commercial gay/lesbian radio show.
Kopkind died of cancer in 1994, at age 59.
Kopkind authored two books: America: The Mixed Curse (1969) and The Thirty Years' Wars: Dispatches and Diversions of a Radical Journalist, 1965-1994, an anthology of his writing which was published posthumously in 1995, with an introduction by Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Claud Cockburn is an American political journalist. Cockburn was brought up in Ireland but has lived and worked in the United States since 1972. Together with Jeffrey St. Clair, he edits the political newsletter CounterPunch...
.
External links
- Index of Kopkind's New York Review of Books articles
- "The Age of Reaganism: A Man and a Movement", by Andrew Kopkind, The Nation, November 3, 1984
- "Mystic Politics: Refugees from the New Left", by Andrew Kopkind, Ramparts, July 1973
- "Andrew Kopkind's Wars", Rob Walker,The Texas ObserverThe Texas ObserverThe Texas Observer is an American political newsmagazine published bi-weekly and based in Downtown Austin, Texas. The non-profit magazine is nonpartisan, but the publication has historically been an advocate for liberal politics...
, July 14, 1995 - Fragments from The Thirty Years' Wars