Kim Kelly (journalist)

Kim Kelly is an American journalist and writer, best known for her coverage of labor issues, and of heavy metal music.[1]

Early life

Kim Kelly was born in the Pine Barrens region of southern New Jersey. She was born with ectrodactyly, a congenital limb difference.[2] Kelly grew up in a working class household with several generations having worked in the construction industry. She was active within the construction industry trade unions. Kelly is a third generation union member.[3][4]

Career

Kelly began her career in journalism covering music and culture, in particular the heavy metal music scene. She initially began writing for her school newspaper as a teenager, and eventually became editor for Vice Magazine's music and culture section.[5][6] In 2015, she became one of the leaders of the successful unionization drive at Vice Media.[7] She was laid off from Vice in 2019, as part of mass layoffs by the company.[8]

Following the unionization drive, she began covering labor issues more frequently, including starting a regular column on labor for Teen Vogue in 2018.[9][10]

Kelly is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World's Freelance Journalists Union.[11] In 2021, she was elected to the council of the Writers Guild of America, East.[12][13]

In April 2022, she released Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, a non-fiction book covering the history of the American labor movement and of marginalized voices who have been overlooked in most narratives of the American labor movement.[14][15][16][17]

Kelly has been published by the following publications: The New Republic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Baffler, The Nation, the Columbia Journalism Review, Esquire, and as Vice's music blog heavy metal editor. Kelly has also worked as a video correspondent for More Perfect Union, The Real News Network, and Means TV.[18]

Activism

Kelly was an anti-fascist counter-demonstrator at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, with the Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council.[19][20] She has spoken out against Nazis within the metal community.[21][22][23] She was a co-founder of the Black Flags Over Brooklyn anti-fascist music festival.[24] Kelly's congenital condition ectrodactyly has led her to be a disability activist. She has worked to highlight the stories of those, who because of their own congenital issues, were mistreated in society. Three of those people figure in Kelly's book FIGHT LIKE HELL: The Untold History of American Labor they are: Julia Pastrana, William Henry Johnson, and Joice Heth.[25]

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References

  1. ^ "Teen Vogue to Black Metal: Waving the Black Flag with Kim Kelly". 4 October 2018. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  2. ^ Kelly, Kim (2 November 2022). "Disability Rights Are Workers' Rights". tcf.org. The Century Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Fighting the Good Fight: An Interview with Kim Kelly". 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Kim Kelly". Simon & Schuster. Paramount Global. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Kim Kelly Unites Metal and Labor Rights in Fight Like Hell". 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  6. ^ Hines, Lauren (18 April 2022). "Kim Kelly on Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor: 'Solidarity is essential. We can't win without it.'". KBIA. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  7. ^ Doctorow, Cory (4 September 2019). "Interview with Kim Kelly, Teen Vogue's labor reporter". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  8. ^ "How "Grim" Kim Kelly's Metal Background Led Her to the Bloody History of American Labor". 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  9. ^ Specter, Emma (28 April 2022). "Writer Kim Kelly's New Book, Fight Like Hell, Is a Timely Ode to the Labor Movement". Vogue. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Fight Like Hell: An Interview with Kim Kelly". Law and Political Economy Project. 5 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Kim Kelly". Simon & Schuster. Paramount Global. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  12. ^ "2021 Council Election | Candidate Statements". Archived from the original on 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  13. ^ "Kim Kelly's 'Fight Like Hell' Examines the Rebound of Unions". Archived from the original on 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  14. ^ "A well-reasoned argument for restoring unions to their former role in the lives of American workers". Kirkus Reviews. 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Kim Kelly Reads from Her Book, Fight Like Hell". 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  16. ^ ""You Can't Trust These Motherfuckers": Why American Workers Need Unions". 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  17. ^ "What the Labor Movement Can Learn from Its Past". The Atlantic. 6 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Kim Kelly". Simon & Schuster. Paramount Global. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Listen To Writer Kim Kelly's Nazi-Smashing, Anti-Fascist Playlist". Kerrang. 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  20. ^ Lennard, Natasha (2 July 2018). "A Year Later, the Fascists of Charlottesville Are Back for More — This Time Outside the White House". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  21. ^ "What covering heavy metal taught me about spotting Nazis". Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  22. ^ "A Beginner's Guide to Heavy Metal Nazi Hunting Online". 5 February 2021. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Inside Heavy Metal's Battle Against White Supremacy". 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Brooklyn Anti-Fascist Metal Fest Was a Beacon for a Troubled Scene". Rolling Stone. 28 January 2019. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  25. ^ Kelly, Kim (2 November 2022). "Disability Rights Are Workers' Rights". tcf.org. The Century Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.