"I think lefties may be getting more interested in the kinds of disparities
that you're talking about, but many continue to be more fascination with the totally marginal: prisoners, homeless, youth etc. Even though workers making $10 per hour have a lot more social and political capital than people making nothing, and much more to gain from radical change. A while ago, I read an interesting paper by a union organizer named Steve Jenkins who argues that foundations prefer to fund leftish activities supporting the "voiceless" and "powerless" rather than the working class, because the truly powerless, by definition, don't really pose any serious threat to the status quo."
Good point, Liza. But it doesn't have to be an either/or. I think it's also very important to defend the case of prisoners, homeless, and youth because they are the victims of our domestic brand of terrorism. Moreover, the whole prison thing is simply the current form of racism and political disenfranchisement. As has been pointed out, most who go to prison can never vote again.
Joanna