Chicago, IL – 40 people gathered in the office of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) to celebrate International Workers Day with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Speakers included Maria Moreno, financial secretary of the CTU; Bassem Kawar, political director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Frank Chapman of CAARPR, and Roni Thrailkill, the mother of Chaz Thrailkill, a prisoner in Menard Prison who is suffering abuse at the hands of the guards in addition to having been wrongfully convicted.
For anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx, May 5, 1818, Fight Back! is reprinting “Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League”. Drafted by Marx in 1850, this work shows Marx to be, above all else, a revolutionary.
Tallahassee, FL – On April 30, Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) hosted a panel discussing Tallahassee’s current city budget and the need for a People’s Budget. The panel was put on at The Bark, a local vegan restaurant in the All Saints neighborhood, and was co-sponsored by the Tallahassee chapters of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
Grand Rapids, MI – West Michigan labor unions, politicians and socialist groups rallied and marched for International Workers Day on May 1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. More than 70 union members and Asian-American, Chicano/Mexicano, and Black community activists and politicians gathered. The local unions also expressed solidarity for immigrant rights and justice for Patrick Lyoya, the young African man executed by Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr.
New Orleans, LA – Community members gathered with activist and immigrant rights organizations at the Benito Juarez monument in New Orleans on May 1, to celebrate International Workers Day.
Minneapolis, MN – Dee Knight’s My Whirlwind Lives is both a memoir and manifesto – chronicling more than five decades of anti-imperialist resistance and revolutionary engagement. “Being a revolutionary is like being a midwife for the future,” he writes. “While there is blood and pain, its essence is hope and excitement for a future we can begin to see ahead of us.”
Minneapolis, MN – On April 25, over 130 people came to an emergency protest to show outrage over the recent Israeli military attacks on worshipers at Al Aqsa mosque and missile attacks on Gaza during Ramadan. This protest and others in Chicago and DC this week have been organized to show solidarity with Palestine. The rush hour protest started outside of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office, was followed by a march on Washington Avenue, and concluded with prayers.
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, April 19, baristas at the Starbucks café on Maple Street filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election. Workers complain about chronic understaffing, few hours and low wages. Poor scheduling was especially hard on the employees during Mardi Gras, when the New Orleans tourism industry is at its peak. Fight Back! interviewed Billie, a shift supervisor and organizer of the union drive. Billie’s last name is not being used due to concerns about company retaliation.
Tampa, FL – The Tampa community has struggled for an end to the housing crisis since the eviction moratoriums ended last year. With this year’s midterm elections approaching, Tampa activists demand a rent control ordinance to stop the rise in rent prices. Enough public support can push the Tampa city council to address the housing emergency.
To mark the 152nd birthday, April 22, of the outstanding revolutionary V.I. Lenin, Fight Back News Service is circulating his famous article “Letter to American Workers” written in 1918.
Appleton, WI – On April 13, the Appleton Students for a Democratic Society and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization held a rally that expressed solidarity with the Palestinian national liberation struggle and demanded an end to the Israeli occupation. These two organizations believe that the Western media continually fails to spread awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. Both organizations hoped the rally would help rectify that issue locally.
Appleton, WI – On April 8, Starbucks workers in Appleton, Wisconsin filed officially for union representation. They will be joining workers from more than 100 Starbucks locations across the country that are taking up the fight against corporate tyranny by exercising their right to collective bargaining, including three in Wisconsin.
Los Angeles, CA – On March 26, over 50 people gathered at Belvedere Lakeside Park in East LA to support the surviving family of David Ordaz, Jr. The event was led by Emily Ordaz, the 16-year-old surviving daughter of Ordaz, and Centro CSO’s Sol Marquez.
Arlington, TX – On April 5, the second student government bigot, a member of the conservative group Turning Point USA, had their impeachment trial in the student senate. Alyssa Spencer, now ex-chief of staff, faced similar charges to Caitlyn Burge-Surliest in being unable to perform her duty as an executive officer of student government due to her bigoted views alongside her poor performance as a chief of staff.
Arlington, TX – On April 4 and 5, the University of Texas at Arlington held its semester student elections. In addition to these elections was a referendum brought forth by the administration of UTA to justify raising tuition and fee costs related to the school.
Los Angeles, CA – On March 6, Centro CSO hosted its fifth annual International Women’s Day event. Hosted over Zoom for the second consecutive year, “Luchadorxs de Los Ángeles: Resisting State Sanctioned Violence during a Pandemic” highlighted the efforts of women in leading the fights against police brutality, the privatization of education as well as other struggles.
Tallahassee, FL- On April 2, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee held a vigil for the lives lost by police brutality and violence within the city. The event was held for those who perished in recent killings such as Tony Mcdade, Mychael Johnson, Wilbon Woodard and Oluwatoyin Salau, as well as previous killings such as the murder of George “Lil Nuke” Williams by Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell.
