Dallas, TX – About 40 protesters gathered at the Grassy Knoll near downtown here, Nov. 21, to call out Texas Governor Greg Abbott's anti-refugee statements. Abbott recently declared that Texas would not accept Syrian refugees.
Salt Lake City, UT – More than two dozen protesters rallied outside the Salt Lake City school board meeting on Nov. 17, demanding an end to racist discrimination in employment. It comes in the guise of newly created and highly paid administrative positions all going to white candidates, while passing over highly qualified African Americans and other oppressed nationalities already employed by the school district.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 students gathered at the University of Minnesota (UMN), Nov. 12, to show solidarity with student protesters at the University of Missouri. The rally, organized by the UMN Black Student Union, consisted of speakers representing a number of different student and community groups, including Whose Diversity?, Students for Justice in Palestine, and APIs for Equity and Diversity.
Tampa, FL – Over 100 University of South Florida (USF) students and faculty members gathered on the steps of the Martin Luther King Plaza, Nov. 12, linking arms and holding a banner that declared “USF stands with Mizzou.”
Columbia, MO – On Nov. 9, both the president and chancellor of the University of Missouri announced their resignation after mass protests by the student body against racism on campus. The announcement came after about 30 African American players on the school's football team threatened to strike and not play Saturday's game if University President Tim Wolfe did not resign. Had the football strike taken place and the team not played, the school would have suffered a $1 million fine for breaking its contract with Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
On Nov. 9, University of Missouri President Timothy Wolfe resigned, under intense pressure from Black student protesters and activists at the University of Missouri, Columbia campus. Black students formed the organization, Concerned Students 1950, demanding University President Wolfe step down over his mishandling of racist incidents on campus as well as calling for an increase in Black student enrollment and Black faculty representation at the predominantly white university. Jonathan Butler, an African American graduate student even went on hunger strike, demanding President Wolfe resign. The student uprising and struggled tipped to a boiling point and got national attention when the Black Missouri football players threatened to strike, not playing another game until President Wolfe stepped down. Such a strike would have cost the university at least $1 million dollars in fines as well as a loss in other revenue, negatively affecting their bottom line.
Los Angeles, CA – Braving wind and rain, activists and immigrants stood in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center on Nov 2. They were there to demand an end to the detention of Central American children who are currently locked up in multiple facilities across the country.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 20 immigrant rights protesters marched into Wells Fargo Bank on Nicollet Avenue and Lake Street on Nov. 7. They held signs inside the bank then presented their demands to a regional bank manager. They demanded that Wells Fargo divest all money from the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and GEO Group.
Minneapolis, MN – On Oct. 13 protesters packed the Board of Education located on West Broadway Avenue in the heart of North Minneapolis. The board was meeting and taking public comment on the controversial Reading Horizons curriculum, that the district recently paid $1.2 million for, to help “close the achievement gap” in literacy between students of color and their white peers. Protest from educators and community members erupted last month upon distribution of materials and trainings, when the curriculum was found to include content that was inundated with racism and male chauvinism.
Washington, DC – Hundreds of thousands of African Americans converged on and filled the National Mall for the Justice for Else gathering, Oct. 10, a mass protest organized by Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, along with other groups, to demand justice for African Americans.
Minneapolis, MN – On the night of Sept. 29, dozens of educators, students, parents and community members disrupted the Minneapolis Board of Education. Tensions between the community and the board have been rising over the recent adoption of a new $1.2 million district-wide racist reading curriculum for elementary age students, sold by the Utah-based company Reading Horizons.
Houston, TX – The Houston chapter of Black Lives Matter (BLMHTX) held a large symposium, Sept. 18, at Saint John's United Methodist church. In the beautiful church setting, BLMHTX brought together over 400 people to discuss the importance of the growing movement of African Americans in the U.S. against police brutality and for liberation.
Billionaire Donald Trump has established himself as the leading Republican candidate for president, with polls giving him twice the support of the nearest contender in a crowded field of 17. Trump has been the focus of media attention for his high level of support, his racist statements about Mexicans and his sexist attacks on women. In terms of policy, Trump has been leading the attack on the right of citizenship for people born in the U.S. – this right was granted by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He is calling for the U.S. citizen children of the undocumented to be deported, along with their parents, in what would be ethnic cleansing.
Los Angeles, CA – Nearly 100 community members, along with various organizations in the Chicano Moratorium Committee, celebrated the 45th anniversary of the historic Chicano Moratorium.
St. Paul, MN – Over 75 people gathered in front of the Governor’s Mansion here, Sept. 1, to protest Governor Mark Dayton’s remarks about the Black Lives Matter march that took place at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 29. The governor said that march – which drew over 700 people – was “inappropriate.”
Tucson, AZ – On August 29, nearly 30 people gathered to celebrate the struggle of Chicano people past and present. Organizers presented a brief history of the historical development of the Chicano nation arising from the U.S. government’s theft of around 50% of Mexico’s land in 1848. An overview of the struggles of the 1960s led to a dialogue about the struggles that Chicanos still face today, such the fight for education and against deportation.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – 50 militant anti-racist protesters confronted 200 racist bikers, skinheads and Confederate sympathizers on August 16. The pro-Confederate racists rode in from all over the South to invade Broward County, Florida. The racists planned to parade the Confederate battle flag through the streets of South Florida before rallying in Markham Park in Sunrise. Instead, they were met with a powerful local resistance in the form of local Black Lives Matter activists.
Jacksonville, FL – On August 8, activists in Jacksonville staged two demonstrations tied to the Black Lives Matter movement. In the morning, community organizers rallied for a press conference outside of the Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center against the mass incarceration of Black youth. Later that day, young activists led a Black Lives Matter march through downtown Jacksonville against racist police crimes.
Minneapolis, MN – Attorneys appeared in court, August 5, before Judge Peter Cahill for a status conference in the #BlackLivesMatter demonstration case. Notably, Bloomington Prosecutor Sandra Johnson has dropped all substantive trespassing charges against the alleged organizers of the Black Lives Matter demonstration. The move came on the heels of motions to dismiss that were filed by lead attorneys Jordan Kushner and Bruce Nestor, who are representing 10 of 11 individuals identified as ‘ringleaders’ of the Black Lives Matter gathering at the Mall of America last December.