Seattle and Beyond It was immensely significant for black
America that the last major public demonstration in the U.S. in
the 20th century was a protest over global economics and trade.
More than forty thousand people came to Seattle to oppose the
policies of the World Trade Organization, which since 1995 has
functioned like an international cabal in league with powerful
corporate and financial interests. Labor activists went to
Seattle to force the WTO to enact trade sanctions against
nations that use child labor, prohibit labor unions and that pay
slave wages to their workers. Environmental activists came to
Seattle to pressure the WTO to ensure environmental safeguards
would be part of any global trade agreements. What motivated
both labor and environmentalists is the political recognition
that issues like human rights, employment and healthcare cannot
be addressed individually as separate issues. Nor can they be
effectively discussed only in the context of a single nation-
state. Capital is now truly globa