The great labor leader and former General Secretary and Chairman of the CPUSA, William Z. Foster, wrote hundreds of articles and pamphlets, giving a Marxist-Leninist analysis to the events and struggles of the day. He also wrote a number of longer books, especially in his later years. 

Foster wrote three major books summing up his experience as a revolutionary organizer in the trade union movement, From Bryan to Stalin (1937), Pages From a Worker’s Life (1939), and American Trade Unionism (1947). These are essential works on the labor movement that every revolutionary should study.

Foster also wrote five major histories, where he looked at particular aspects of history from a distinctly Marxist-Leninist, historical materialist perspective. These important works are Outline Political History of the Americas (1951), History of the Communist Party of the United States (1952), The Negro People in American History (1954), History of the Three Internationals (1955), and Outline History of the World Trade Union Movement (1956). 

All of these books are tremendously valuable works of Marxist-Leninist analysis, but here we’re going to focus on his book on the history of the Black liberation struggle in the U.S., The Negro People in American History.

Foster’s analysis

Foster sets out the purpose of his book clearly. He writes

“The general purpose of the present book, written from the standpoint of Marxism-Leninism, is to outline the growth of the American Negro people in relation to the historical development of the American nation. Concretely, the book also aims to stimulate further the present struggle of the Negro people for the fullest freedom along with their white allies, to analyze the factors making for the historical growth into ‘a nation within a nation,’ and to indicate the main lines of the young nation’s perspective of further social development.”

From this standpoint, Foster looks at the history African Americans going back to Africa and its colonization, through the international slave trade, slavery in the American colonies, the role of African Americans in the American Revolution of 1776, the rise of the Abolition movement, Republicanism, and the Civil War, Reconstruction and the counter-revolution against it, up through the Jim Crow period. 

The scope of The Negro People in American History is enormous, so for our purposes we’ll only zero in on a few points of particular interest so that we can get a look at how Foster puts Marxism-Leninism to work in analyzing the contradictions in motion in the history of the Black liberation struggle.

Let’s look at how Foster addresses the African American National Question, the central point of the “nation within a nation,” as he put it. This central question runs throughout the book, especially the chapters on Reconstruction, and the chapters on “The Communist Party and Negro Question” and “The Negro People As an Oppressed Nation.” 

Foster, first of all, recognizes the revolutionary character of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Foster says “The Civil War was a revolution, the second in United States history. It was a bourgeois-democratic revolution… because it brought about ‘a transference of power from one class to another.’” 

Indeed, the Civil War deposed the Southern Planter class that had until then “dominated the Federal Government” and put “the Northern industrialists firmly in the political saddle.” Foster notes that “The general effect of the war was to clear away barriers in the path of capitalism and to stimulate that system into tremendous expansion.” The main barrier in question was the outmoded and archaic system of chattel slavery in the South, which acted as a fetter, holding back industrial capitalist development, then centered in the North. 

Foster also astutely points out that the revolutionary demands of the African American people aimed “straight at the heart of the Confederacy.” These were the demands for “(a) the emancipation of the the slaves; (b) the arming of Negro slaves and freedmen; © the enfranchisement of the Negro people; (d) the abolition of Jim Crow and social inequality; and (e) the redistribution of land in the South.” Foster goes on to explain,

“The degree of revolutionary content in the Federal Government’s policy was always measured by the extent to which it adopted and was enforcing the national demands of the Negro people. The sequel showed that the Government never really made the Negro people’s demands its own. It always considered them something alien, to be picked up or dropped as political or military expediency dictated…” 

Foster explains that “The revolution, despite its final betrayal [toppling Reconstruction in 1877], brought basic advancement to the Negro people, achieving some of their major demands. Most important of all, it freed them from the terrible, centuries-old bondage of chattel slavery. It also won for them the legal right to vote, the right to education and to bear arms in the national defense.” 

But the betrayal of Reconstruction led to counter-revolution, disenfranchisement, lynch-terror and all of the other horrors of the Jim Crow system, including robbing African Americans in the South of political power, stripping them of their land, and thrusting them back onto the plantations under peonage and sharecropping. This period, coinciding with the rise of monopoly capitalism in the United States and its compulsion towards the super-exploitation of the African American people, marks the origin of the African American oppressed nation in the Black Belt South. 

Foster writes,

“Joseph Stalin, the greatest of all authorities on the national question, formulated the following classical Marxist definition of a nation: ‘a nation is an historically evolved stable community of language, territory, economic life, and psychological make-up manifested in a community of culture.’ … On the basis of this scientific definition, clearly the Negro people in the Black Belt of the South comprise a nation, and those in the North and West constitute a national minority.” 

Foster then proceeds to look at each of these aspects of nationhood and explain exactly how they apply to the African American people of the Black Belt. He therefore raises the Leninist demand for self-determination. “It is right which must be conceded to the Negro nation in the Black Belt of the United States, to be used under such concrete forms as it so resolves.” This means it is up to the African American people of the Black Belt South to decide how they want to relate to the United States, whether that means secession, federation, or some other relationship. 

Foster’s The Negro People in American History today

The key role of the Black liberation struggle within the revolutionary movement as a whole has been on sharp display, especially since the uprisings that swept the country after the police murder of George Floyd. Clarity on the African American national question is therefore more important than ever. Foster’s book on the history of the Black liberation struggle in the United States is a key work of Marxist-Leninist historical analysis. It casts a bright light on the revolutionary currents and material contradictions that have propelled the Black liberation movement forward. 

As Frank Chapman said in his excellent book Marxist-Leninist Perspectives On Black Liberation and Socialism, regarding the strategic alliance between the Black liberation movement and the multinational working class struggle at the heart of the united front against monopoly capitalism, “...a key to building such an alliance is the recognition of the centrality of the struggle for Black Liberation in the struggle for socialism in the United States of America.” Understanding the material forces at work, not only the current balance of forces, but the historical trajectory of those contradictions, is absolutely essential for revolutionaries to grasp as we move forward.

J. Sykes is the author of the book “The Revolutionary Science of Marxism-Leninism”. The book can be purchased by visiting frso.org/books

#RevolutionaryTheory #RedReviews #WZFoster #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican

Detroit, MI – On Sunday, April 5, around 100 people joined Detroit Anti-War Committee at the Spirit of Detroit statue to begin weekly protests against Trump’s war on Iran. Daanyal Syed, speaking on behalf of the committee, explained why the organization began these protests, saying that while the U.S. and Israel continue to ramp up their violence, “we must ramp up our opposition.”

These protests began in collaboration with U.S. Palestinian Community Network, CodePink-Detroit, Engineers Against Apartheid, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, Love & Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The organizers chose to begin the protests on Easter Sunday, partially in response to Israel’s recent death penalty law that targets heroes of the Palestinian liberation movement, such as Marwan Barghouti and Dr. Abu Safiya. However, the protest also highlighted the U.S. and Israel’s terror on the region as a whole, protesting the Zionist state’s continuous attacks on Lebanon and the threats from Trump to bomb Iran “into the Stone Age.”

People rallied with Iran flags, and many came with signs highlighting all three issues, some holding signs of Palestinian prisoners, others holding signs demanding an end to the attacks on their families in Lebanon, and more.

After the rally, the crowd marched through Campus Martius, chanting, “Money for Detroit, not for war!” Upon returning to the Spirit of Detroit, people continued to hold space despite the march being over. Several people came up to the organizers and promised to come back the following week.

While Iran and the U.S. came to a ceasefire agreement as of April 7, the Detroit Anti-War Committee plans to continue its weekly protests.

Protesters demanded an end to the U.S. and Israel’s terror on the region, from occupied Palestine to Lebanon to Iran. The committee remains steadfast to the demand that Trump and his allies cease all hostilities on Iran and honor Iran’s 10-point ceasefire plan.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Jacksonville, FL – On April 4, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) hosted a vigil with approximately 30 people in attendance, at Memorial Park. This vigil is in respect to and mourning for the individuals who have been killed at the hands of ICE, especially those who have been killed within the detention camps that are located throughout the U.S.

This comes after news that this year's detention center deathrates are the highest of the last 20 years. Hand in hand with the Legalization For All Network, JIRA highlighted some of the following deaths in particular: Ruben Ray Martinez, a Chicano who was shot by the Department of Homeland Security; Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Myanmar refugee who suffered abuse and neglect from Border Patrol; Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes, who died of medical neglect while within ICE custody, and Daphy Michel, a Haitian asylum seeker who died of medical complications after being detained by ICE.

“No man should have the power to make the decision of whether you belong based on legal status, let alone a city cop,” said a member of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance. This was said in direct reference to the way these death rates are exacerbated by the establishment of 287(g) agreements, which are legal programs in the U.S. that allow local law enforcement to act in place of ICE. This is something that JIRA says they're fighting to see removed entirely.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #JIRA #ICE

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, April 6, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally near the University of South Florida (USF) to demand “No ICE on campus” in response to USF and Department of Homeland Security signing onto a 287(g) agreement and the recent pause on H-1B visas passed by the Florida Board of Governors.

The 287(g) agreement allows USF police to train and act as ICE agents on USF campuses, putting international and immigrant students and faculty in direct harm’s way of racial profiling and being detained.

“A university is supposed to be a place of growth and safety, not a place where students feel watched and targeted by their own administrators, and most definitely not a place where their education could be interrupted by their own detention,” said Jayce Solis of Tampa Bay SDS in a speech demanding USF become a sanctuary campus immediately.

As protesters held signs with slogans like, “End 287(g)” and “No ICE on campus,” cars passed by honking in support.

The protest also demanded the reinstatement of H-1B visas, which universities commonly use to hire skilled foreign professionals in specialized fields that require advanced knowledge and education. Universities frequently use H-1B visas to recruit professors, scientists, engineers and researchers from around the world.

During the rally, attendees chanted “We want justice, you say, how? Sanctuary campus now!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportations!”

Tampa Bay SDS will continue to organize against this 287(g) agreement and the pause on H-1B visas.

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #SDS

Washington, DC – On April 8, hundreds of people gathered outside the White House to join the emergency protest against Trump’s war crimes threats to Iran and Netanyahu’s terrorist bombing campaign on Lebanon. Calls for regime change in Washington, DC echoed through the White House barricades. This action came after Trump’s statement “a whole civilization will die tonight.”

Hundreds of people in DC had plenty of energy and spirit, so they protested the war on Iran two days in a row.

Even though news broke of the temporary ceasefire won by Iran the day before, organizers ensured the day of protest would continue, since many people wanted to express their anger and frustration over Trump’s warmongering in Iran, as well as to demand an immediate end to U.S. aid to Israel in the wake of its genocidal bombing in Lebanon.

Merawi Gerima, a member of the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, started the program by rallying the crowd chanting, “It is right to rebel! Trump and Bibi go to hell!”

An organizer with Palestine Youth Movement DMV stated, “As people who live in the heart of empire, we have a unique obligation to end Zionist-U.S. violence. We have to ensure that death and destruction are not profitable, and we must stop the war machine in its very tracks.”

After the short program, the protesters took the streets disrupting traffic and marching down to Dupont Circle. On the way, chant leaders made sure to point out the racist Metropolitan Police Department officers who were trying to curtail the crowd. One MPD officer, Mendez, was identified as a racist cop who was previously seen harassing Black people for no reason. When DCAARPR members had questioned him on why he was harassing Black people, he said he, “can’t be racist because he has a Black girlfriend.” This encounter was pointed out to the crowd as they shouted at Mendez to quit his job and go get a real one.

Another MPD officer, Jason Bagshaw, a racist and killer cop, was pointed out and angry protesters started hurling insults at him and telling him to go to hell.

The protesters shut down one of the busiest traffic circles in the city before finishing out the program inside the circle itself. An organizer with FRSO DC stated, “Y’know, Donald Trump is very good at one thing: he is good at making an enemy out of everyone. He makes enemies everywhere he goes. He sends troops into DC. He sends ICE all across the country. He funds Israel’s bombs in Palestine, and then he bombs Iran. He kidnapped President Maduro from Venezuela. Now he has all the peoples of the world looking at him as an enemy. That’s where we find our unity.”

DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA), 50501DC, Palestinian Youth Movement DMV, the Party for Socialism and Liberation DC, Codepink DC, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), the Anti-War Committee DMV, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC, and many others rallied around the central demand “U.S. out of Iran now!”

#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Los Angeles, CA – In the early morning hours of April 1, East Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed 29-year-old Erik Torres while he was going through a mental health crisis. Although Torres was unarmed and needed help, deputies murdered him.

Local media outlets incorrectly reported that an exchange of gunfire occurred between Torres and deputies, resulting in an hours-long standoff. However, this initial report that Torres was armed, and that an exchange of gunfire occurred with deputies has been proven false.

The case is now being investigated by the California Department of Justice and Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant under California Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), which requires the department to investigate, “all incidents of an officer-involved shooting resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state,” per the Office of the Attorney General website.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department deputies have even had to admit this: Eric Torres did not have a gun when he was shot and killed, and there was no “exchange of gunfire.” The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department murdered Erick Torres in cold blood.

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting, members of Centro CSO made contact with the family, who immediately dismissed the narrative being pushed by the media and the department. Torres’ brother made it known that deputies from the Sheriff's Department had routinely responded to calls at the Torres residence, and were aware of his brother’s mental health struggles. The night of the incident, the family made it known to deputies that Torres was unarmed, but deputies disregarded this information and killed him anyway.

Chicanos on the Eastside know all too well that the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station – home of the Banditos gang – is infamous for officers’ aggressive, violent behavior and long history of killing young Chicano men. Deputies out of the East LA Station have killed those experiencing mental health crises in the past, instead of getting them the help they deserve.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #EastLA #InjusticeSystem #LASD #OppressedNationalities #Featured

Minneapolis, MN – On April 7 over 50 anti-war protesters held Iranian, Palestinian and Lebanese flags and anti-war on Iran signs and banners over Interstate-35W in downtown Minneapolis to denounce Trump’s latest threats against Iran and demand an end to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The emergency response demonstration was called by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC).

On April 7, Trump stated that “a whole civilization will die” if his escalation against Iran goes forward, while he and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have repeatedly threatened to send Iran “back to the Stone Age.” Trump announced an 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline for Iran to capitulate to a list of maximalist U.S. demands or face destruction of its critical civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.

Bombing civilian infrastructure is considered a war crime under international law. Moreover, all attacks launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran beginning February 28 are widely understood as unprovoked, making them a war of aggression that violates the United Nations Charter.

Ahead of Trump’s deadline, Iranians have been holding large demonstrations on bridges and near power plants and other critical infrastructure in Iran threatened by Trump, in the hopes of preventing them from being bombed. The MN Anti-War Committee organized the action to show solidarity with Iranians of all backgrounds and beliefs who are standing up against Trump’s war.

Near the end of the action Trump announced that he would back down from his threat on Iran and agree to a two-week ceasefire.

Wyatt Miller, member of the AWC, explained the intent behind the protest, “This bridge is close to the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi that collapsed in 2007. Here in Minneapolis, we know that the destruction of critical infrastructure is no joke. U.S-Israeli bombings are a war crime.”

Miller continued, “Trump seems to have backed down from his genocidal threats for now. But we know he can’t be trusted. It’s more clear than ever that we need to dismantle this whole system of U.S. war and empire once and for all, no matter who’s in charge of it.”

The MN Peace Action Coalition has called for supporters to join Women Against Military Madness’ protest on Wednesday, April 8 from 4 to 5 p.m. to continue to say no to the U.S. war on Iran.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Iran #AntiWarMovement #AWC

Tacoma, WA – On Saturday, April 4, members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the general public gathered at Wheelock Branch library to learn about and discuss the U.S. war on Iran and the growing anti-imperialist movement.

FRSO hosted the interactive seminar to discuss the destructive conflict with Iran and the oppressive sanctions imposed by the United States.

Speakers from Seattle and Tacoma fielded questions from the audience concerning the war on Iran and the region as a whole, emphasizing the resistance of oppressed and working-class people. The presentation discussed global and local anti-war efforts, with the audience of 40 chanting between sections, “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!”

The presenters led an activity where the audience identified over 25 politicians and groups involved in the conflict as being either “friendly,” “enemy,” or “vacillating” in the fight against imperialism. The group identified “The Department of War” and “Netanyahu” among the enemies, and “The government of Iran” and “Ansar Allah (Houthis)” among the friendly forces.

“Iran is an anti-imperialist force in the world,” said Gloria Baughman, one of the four presenters.

#TacomaWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Although the Tuesday, April 7th, ceasefire announced after 40 days of U.S. / Israeli war on Iran has gripped us all, the criminal U.S. and Israel can never be trusted to uphold ceasefires or good-faith negotiations. This morning, April 8th, USPCN and the entire world were awakened to the horrific news that Israel has carried out a massive bombing raid in Lebanon, killing over 300 people, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. The number will undoubtedly rise as the raid continues and the emergency responders report.

In response to this massacre, a senior Iranian official said to Al-Jazeera, “We will punish Israel in response to the crime it committed in Lebanon…The ceasefire includes the region, and Israel is knowingly breaking its promises.”

According to Fars News Agency, Iran has halted the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz over Israel's strikes in Lebanon, even though unblocking the strait was one of the stipulations of the ceasefire. And Tasnim News Agency reported that if ceasefire violations “persist,” Iran will cancel the two-week agreement and not attend the planned talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The New York Times broke news this morning that Netanyahu said in a statement that “the cease-fire did not include Lebanon,” and just hours later, Israel carried out the aforementioned large-scale bombing raid across Beirut, the Bekaa, and southern Lebanon, targeting over 100 sites it claims belong to the Lebanese resistance. The Israelis are doing what they do, massacring more and more people and destroying more and more of our homelands, with early reports stating that this raid is the worst Lebanon has seen since the vicious 1982 war. That means this war is not over, and it means that we cannot and will not celebrate even a temporary victory!

But we can discuss and analyze the past 40 days. Only hours after the war criminal Donald Trump announced on social media that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not unblock the Strait of Hormuz, the announcement of this two-week-long ceasefire in the U.S. / Israeli war against Iran is an historic moment for the Islamic Republic and its brave and resilient people, especially considering that it was prompted by a 10-point peace plan proposed by Iran itself, which presumably will be the basis for these two weeks of negotiations.

The plan includes the lifting of sanctions, the imposition of a $2 million fee per ship transiting Hormuz, an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon (violated already), and an end to all regional fighting against Iranian allies, with the understanding that the “Iranian allies” include the Unified Palestinian Resistance in Gaza and the rest of Palestine. It is a victory for the Axis of Resistance, and for all the people of the world, especially those in the Global South.

Conversely, no matter how much the increasingly unhinged Trump wants to declare that U.S. pressure forced the pause, this is a huge defeat for his administration and for U.S. imperialism. Trump was forced to move the goalposts continuously, to amend his objectives and back down numerous times, and to ultimately fail in accomplishing his primary goals, which included the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missiles and nuclear program.

The ceasefire is also a major defeat for Israel, which again was not able to accomplish its own goal of restricting Iran’s support for the other resistance forces in the region, especially in Palestine, Yemen, and Lebanon. Even with big brother U.S. jumping in as always to support the vassal state by attacking Iran and together killing over 1,600 Iranians (including the almost 180 schoolgirls killed by U.S. missiles early in the war) while Israel killed nearly 1,500 Lebanese, Israel was again exposed as conquerable like it has been since the Gaza Genocide. Seventy-two thousand Palestinians and counting have been killed, but neither the Palestinian nor Lebanese resistance has been defeated.

And as we are witnessing in Lebanon now, in a barbaric response to not being able to impose its will even after two and a half years of genocide in Gaza and indiscriminate attacks in Lebanon, Israel just continues to bomb neighborhoods and infrastructure and kill civilians. The racist, zionist, white supremacist, settler-colonialist state is out of control, and is supported unequivocally by the out of control Trump and the entire U.S. government, regardless of political party.

In addition, Israel’s Iron Dome, the defense system that U.S. taxpayers spent 1.6 billion dollars on, was not able to stop the strategic Iranian missile program developed for five decades under intense, U.S.-imposed sanctions. Israel's racist, genocide-apologist society has also been shaken to its core, as even the Occupation Forces’ chief of staff, only two weeks ago, said that the “[IOF] is going to collapse in on itself.”

For 40 days, the Israeli public lived in their shelters – reminding us of the mass flight of Israelis from the north of Occupied Palestine as the Lebanese resistance defended Gaza during the genocide – while the brave people of Iran marched daily in the streets defending themselves, their lands, and their sovereignty against this illegal war.

The U.S. / Israeli project is failing. And this moment cannot be understood without also recognizing the role played by the steadfast Unified Palestinian Resistance in Gaza. Since October 2023, Gaza has endured unimaginable violence while continuing to resist, exposing the limits of military power and helping to reshape the political landscape of the region. The resilience of the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and others has not only challenged narratives of dominance, but has also galvanized broader regional and global movements, making clear that struggles for liberation are interconnected.

We salute the courageous Iranians who are standing firm in supporting their people, their revolution, and their sovereignty, as well as the entire Axis of Resistance. Despite all U.S. and Israeli attempts to destabilize the Iranian government, including mass assassinations by both, and machinations by the Mossad to promote uprisings in the streets of Tehran and beyond, Iran stayed united and rejected the contemptible plans of the zionists, the U.S. imperialists, the Arab reactionaries, and the monarchists who want to reinstate a new Shah.

Iran’s strategic control of the Strait of Hormuz delivered an economic shock to the whole world, forcing the west to recognize that the U.S. is not the world's peace keeper, but rather one of its most dangerous liabilities. Even most of the other imperialist European states would not support this U.S. venture, and the corresponding economic blow will leave an impact on U.S. markets for years to come.

In just over four weeks – with the blocking of the Strait and the unstoppable attacks on U.S. bases in the Gulf states, which are essentially U.S. protectorates – Iran may accomplish militarily what 47 years of diplomacy could not, the possibility that sanctions against its people could be lifted. Under a constant, strategic barrage from Iran, the U.S. abandoned those bases and those Arab regimes “in a day and a night,” as the old Arab adage goes, making it clear that it was never there to accomplish anything but secure the economic interests of U.S. imperialism.

The bravery of the people of Iran and the rest of the Axis of Resistance – plus supporters that reject and resist U.S. hegemony, like China, which has provided technology and materials to help Iran’s missile program and has bought close to 80% of Iran’s oil to lessen the impact of sanctions – have inspired the entire globe to recognize what anti-imperialists and those fighting for national liberation and economic independence have always believed, that the U.S. empire is a paper tiger prone to wild attempts to control the entire world, and that this overextension may eventually lead it to collapse and defeat.

But even with these new developments and the slight change in the regional game, Israel commits another war crime with impunity, and the U.S. again allows it. Our movement must continue to be in the streets to stop the bombing in Lebanon, and we must also recognize that a genocide in Gaza; ethnic cleansing, settler attacks, and land expropriation in Al-Quds and the West Bank; and racist death penalty laws targeting Palestinian political prisoners all continue unabated, so our struggle continues as well.

Iran’s defense of its nation and solidarity with the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria has set a new standard in resisting empire in this world. It has proven, similar to Palestine and Lebanon, that no matter how powerful and well-funded Israel and the U.S. are, the people’s resistance will never be broken.

Long live international solidarity! Long live the struggle for a free and just world! Hands off Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine! End all U.S. sanctions and wars now!

U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

#USPCN #Palestine #Iran #Leabanon #AntiWarMovement

Colorado Springs, CO – On April 1, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) was joined by Colorado Springs faith leaders and community organizations outside of anti-LGBTQ counselor Kaley Chiles’ office to condemn her litigation against Colorado’s “conversion therapy” ban and the 8-1 Supreme Court ruling.

Faith leaders included Reverend Josh Rumple of First Congregational and Pastor Amanda Udis-Kessler of Vista Grande United Church of Christ, both progressive churches in Colorado Springs respectively.

The Supreme Court ruling overturning Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” came on Trans Day of Visibility and is a continued escalation from the Trump administration against LGBTQ rights and protections. The case's primary litigant, Kaley Chiles, is a known bigot who works at Deeper Stories Counseling in Colorado Springs and worked with conservative law firm Alliance Defending Freedom”

Several community members shared speeches to a crowd of about 50 that condemned the Supreme Court's decision. “Claiming that conversion therapy is free speech is like calling a noose neckwear,” said Genevieve Richard of the FRSO. Lenny Lorenz, a college student and organizer with New Era Colorado College said, “The Supreme Court’s decision sets an alarming precedent that leaves queer youth open to dangerous and discredited practices.”

The crowd stayed strong despite rain and light hail. Chants rang loud through Cascade Avenue, “We won’t go back! These queers bash back!” and “We’re here! We’re queer! We won’t disappear.” Anger and a determination to fight back filled the air and everyone’s faces.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #LGBTQ #SupremeCourt

The Anti War Action Network (AWAN) called for a national day of action on Tax Day, April 15, to protest Trump’s costly war on Iran. President Trump has asked Congress to authorize an additional $200 billion for his war on Iran while at the same time cutting funding to scientific research, environmental protection, and various social programs including housing assistance, Medicaid and SNAP.

From the AWAN post on their Instagram @antiwaractionnetwork, “Organize an action in your community for Tax Day – April 15th – to show that we want our tax dollars spent on human needs like education and healthcare instead of bombing schools and destroying hospitals in Iran!”

Rae Minji, an organizer with Seattle Against War (SAW), said, “Mainstream media constantly lies to Americans the extent to which their tax dollars have been used for purposes that have nothing to do with national security and everything to do with the interests of the billionaires. We have a right to have a say in how our taxes are invested, and in order to make that a reality, we need to expose the actors responsible for the constant flow of our taxes dollars to bombs and genocide.”

Minji continued, “In SAW, we are flyering commuters in Washington Congressional District 9, which is the seat of Representative Adam Smith, one of the politicians who has been saying a lot about stopping Trump’s war on Iran, but hasn’t done anything meaningful. And no wonder: he personally benefits from war. His campaign funding almost entirely comes from AIPAC, Palantir, and other war-profiteering companies, and he operates the U.S. Military and Defense PAC. The hypocrisy is laughable.”

Cities participating include New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Tucson, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., Seattle, Dallas/Fort Worth, Tulsa, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Grand Rapids.

#AWAN #AntiWarMovement #TaxDay #Iran #NationalDayofAction #Featured

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, March 31, more than 100 community members rallied outside of the Walker Library on Trans Day of Visibility to protest national policies targeting the rights of trans people.

The rally was called by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee in response to anti-trans measures, including the Trump administration’s executive orders E14168 and E14187, which have been used as templates to remove access to healthcare for adults and minors, remove protections against rape for trans prisoners in jails and immigration detention centers, and expose trans prisoners and detainees to conversion therapy, which is considered by the United Nations to be a form of torture. Earlier in the day the U.S. Supreme Court announced a decision that would overturn the right of states to ban conversion therapy.

Yann Chen, an organizer for the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke about how the U.S. government is not only forcing trans prisoners to endure conversion therapy, but also withholding medications from over 2000 trans people. In addition to these attacks on transgender people by the federal administration, legislators across the U.S. have been proposing and passing state laws targeting trans peoples’ ability to change or maintain their legal documents, or even to use the bathroom safely. In February, the state of Kansas revoked the drivers licenses of around 1700 trans people. 27 states across the U.S. have now imposed some kind of ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.

These repressive laws and policies have led to a mass migration of trans people to trans refuge states like Minnesota, where the Minnesota Human Rights Act enshrines trans rights as human rights. Lizzie Palmer, an organizer with Communities Against Transphobia, pointed out that trans people now make up 1% of Minnesota’s population, and received an audible positive response when she asked the crowd to applaud if they had moved to Minnesota from another state. However, organizers at Tuesday night’s rally argued that, in order to become a genuine refuge for trans rights, Minnesota must also ensure the ability to live with dignity.

Natalie Berger, an organizer with the Minnesota Abortion Access Committee, listed three demands as part of the group’s campaign for trans rights. The first was to make Minnesota a real trans refuge, with local agencies creating and advertising structures of support for trans refugees like housing and job placement, as well as assistance with navigating the healthcare system. The second demand was to make the name change process cheaper, non-invasive, and private, with Berger pointing out that name changes cost $322 on average in Minnesota and are matters of public record, meaning that trans people’s deadnames, or names given at birth, are accessible by public records requests. The third demand was to fund gender-affirming care at the state level. “It's one thing to say trans people are welcome here. It's another thing to mean it and practice that solidarity,” she said.

Michelle Hanlon, an organizer with Minnesota 50501, spoke about the experience of working as a healthcare provider for trans people, reminding the crowd of the importance of real support for trans people in an era when trans people are under attack more than ever.

“Visibility without support makes you a target,” Hanlon said, pointing out that Children’s Minnesota, a vital children’s hospital within the Twin Cities area, had been forced to end their gender-affirming care program due to politically motivated attacks against their organization.

Jae Yates, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, the Taking Back Pride Coalition, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “I see the same choice before us now. Will we submit, or will we resist? Will we hide, or fight? Will we accept a life where we are second-class citizens, afraid to take a damn piss in public, or will we demand the same respect, dignity and privacy that many cis people take for granted?”

The mood then turned solemn in remembrance of Sam Nordquist, a Black trans man from Minnesota who was tortured and murdered by a group of people in upstate New York in 2025 after he moved away from his support network in Minnesota.

Khrys Wetzel, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, read a speech written by Kayla Nordquist, Sam’s sister, who asked that protesters remember her brother as more than what happened to him. “Being seen should never come at the cost of someone’s life,” Nordquist wrote. “No one should have to choose between being themselves and being safe. Sam deserved to be seen. He deserved to be respected. He deserved to live a full, long life, without fear.”

Rae Rowe, the cofounder of the Paper Lantern Project, spoke about the organization’s work providing mutual aid and name-change clinics for Asian American and Pacific Islander trans people

Rowe stated, “They’re afraid of a love that shows ways to exist beyond capitalism, beyond tyranny, beyond the powers that be. And the last few months, we have seen what happens when we are powered by love instead of hate.”

As the rally came to a close, the protesters lined the streets with signs calling for the protection of trans youth and for justice for Sam Nordquist. Drivers honked in support as organizers led the crowd in chants of “No hate! No fear! Trans people are welcome here!” and “We’re not here to compromise! Hands off trans lives!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #LGBTQ #Trans #TransDayOfVisibility #MNAAC

Brooklyn, NY – On the early evening of April 3, a dozen people gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center to observe Good Friday. The vigil was called by Black Alliance for Peace on what is also the three-month anniversary of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores’ kidnapping.

On January 3, the Trump administration launched an attack on Caracas, Venezuela to kidnap the two government officials. In the process, they murdered over 100 people. Some of the people murdered couldn’t even be identified because all that was left of them was a melted body.

The protesters took turns giving speeches, saying the names of the deceased, and lighting candles to honor those who had been martyred.

The speakers expertly connected the religious overtone of the day to martyrs in Venezuela and Cuba. They brought up the ongoing war for oil, the blockade in Cuba, and how U.S. imperialism is teetering on the edge of self-destruction.

The protesters are part of a loose coalition of solidarity for Venezuela who will continue to show up on the 3rd of every month until President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are free!

#NewYorkNY #NY #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores #Cuba #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

Portland, OR – On April 4, angry protesters marched to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s house, demanding he revoke the conditional land use permit for the ICE detention facility. The protest, organized by Portland Contra las Deportaciones (PDXCD), began at Wilshire Park and drew a crowd of over 50 in front of the mayor’s home.

The city of Portland issued a land use violation of the permit to the facility on Macadam Avenue in September 2025, after public pressure as the city faced threats of the deployment of the National Guard. Since then, Wilson has allowed landowner Stuart Lindquist to stall the process and appeal the violation to delay any consequences.

In March, the ICE facility landowner, Lindquist, rescinded his appeal to the city’s upholding of the land use violation, meaning Portland officials can begin enforcing the fine at any time. Protesters condemn the lack of enforcement by their city leaders.

During this time, Portland has faced increased immigration enforcement with violent detentions peaking in the fall of 2025. In January 2026, two immigrants were shot by ICE in Portland, and many others faced unlawful and brutal kidnappings.

Andrew Nourie with Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “For the last year, Portland has been under attack by the federal government. The people have demanded action from our mayor and the city government, and in response we’ve received silence and a clear commitment to business as usual.”

PDXCD has sent over 1000 emails to the mayor requesting he take action and heard nothing from him for months. After protesters marched to his home in early February, his team reached out to the organization to coordinate a meeting.

Isabella Shepherd, one of the founding members of the campaign to Revoke the ICE Permit, said at the rally: “He insisted on bringing 15 other people [to the meeting] from other groups to argue with the four of us he allowed us to bring, so he wouldn’t have to say any of his own vile opinions out loud himself.”

Members of the campaign say the meeting made it clear the mayor is committed to keeping the ICE facility open, which is why they’ve returned to protest at his house.

The crowd chanted, “Keith Wilson, do your job!” as they occupied the street in front of his home for over an hour. Cars driving by honked their support, and a small crowd of supportive neighbors and passersby formed on a nearby street.

Activists dumped spent munitions ICE used on protesters during this last year on the front porch of the mayor’s house, yelling “No justice, no peace!” saying there will not be peace at home for Wilson while immigrants are terrorized by ICE in their homes.

Sage Joyce with PDXCD said the group brought the canisters because “Keith Wilson should not have freedom from chemical munitions he allows to be used against Portlanders who dare to stand up to ICE!”

Organizers said they are determined to keep up pressure on the city of Portland to move forward in the land use violation process for the ICE facility.

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #ICE #PDXCD #KeithWilson #Featured

New Orleans, LA – On March 30, Jace Lee Scott's family and supporting activists rallied outside the city council's Criminal Justice Committee hearing. About 15 community members then packed the meeting and made public comments demanding that NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr. be fired for his role in his son Andrew Gant's coverup and killing of Jace.

During public comment on the NOPD's quarterly report, Jace's mother Shanta Scott had her mic abruptly cut and the council cleared the chambers, arresting one activist: Toni Jones of the New Orleans Alliance.

During the course of the five-hour meeting, public comment was repeatedly interrupted by the committee cutting the microphone on Shanta Scott and her supporters.

When commenting on one presentation Scott stated, “My trust has been damaged by NOPD and the criminal court system. Justice is not just a concept, it is something that families must be able to see, feel and experience. And I haven't, due to the corruption of NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr.” Scott continued, “I'm demanding that the city should have a Civilian Police Accountability Council so families like mine can get the proper justice.”

Committee Chairman Freddie King III justified the repeated silencing of community members by saying that the comments on policy, racial discrimination and Gant's abuse of power were not germane to the self-congratulatory progress reports being presented by the city departments.

Twice during the meeting, King left the council chambers and signaled to NOPD officers to physically remove Shanta Scott for her comments. Both times, activists in the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR) stood by her and demanded that she be heard. When NOAARPR chair Toni Jones objected to the second threat to remove Scott, Jones was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and city council.

After the arrest, activists called the Orleans Parish Jail and the city attorney. Toni Jones was released within hours. A press conference was immediately held upon release and those gathered representing NOAARPR, Jace's family, and supporting organizations demanded that the charges be dropped, Victor Gant Jr. be fired and charged, and a Civilian Police Accountability Council be established.

The family will be at the next criminal justice committee hearing on April 27.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #JaceLeeScott #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #NOAARPR

New Orleans, LA — On Tuesday March 31 at 10 a.m., a crowd of about 15 people came out to New Orleans Municipal Court to support activist Toni Jones and demand her charges be dropped. Jones is facing trumped-up charges of disturbing the peace and disrupting city council following an action for Jace Lee Scott at the Criminal Justice Committee (CJC) meeting on Monday March 30.

M. R. Framboise from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke in support of her fellow organizer saying, “This is not only an attack on Toni. It is a government-driven attack on the people of the City of New Orleans and the broad masses of the people at large.”

Framboise continued, “The NOPD and city council have clearly communicated to the community that when the people stand up for themselves, their mics will be truncated; they will be brutalized, and they will be detained.”

Jones, chairwoman of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR), was defending the right to public comment when she was arrested. Shanta Scott, Jace’s mother, spoke to the CJC Councilmembers Eugene Green and Freddie King III about her son’s murder by Andrew Gant and the cover-up by the New Orleans Police Department. Scott spoke to ask about NOPD policy when an officer’s family member is involved in a murder. As soon as she mentioned the name of NOPD’s crooked cop Victor Gant Jr., Andrew’s father, Councilman Freddie King III cut off Scott’s mic despite her comments remaining entirely germane.

Jones spoke out against the cut mic, insisting to King that Scott’s comments were germane to the discussion on NOPD policy. Instead of responding to Scott’s pleas for answers, Councilmembers Green and King turned their backs on her and left the chambers. New Orleans police then surrounded the crowd of supporters and targeted Jones, putting her in handcuffs and dragging her out of the chambers. NOAARPR quickly released a call-in statement that put pressure on the city attorney and Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office that resulted in her release with no bond.

Jones herself also spoke at the rally, “One of places I go in the search for justice is to the jailhouse, and all I see are people going through unnecessary misery for months, without even having a trial.” Jones referred to the community support that she knew was present from within the jailhouse, saying, “When I was in the jail, I knew that I had all of you with me. My jailers themselves came down to let me know, ‘They support you. They are with you, so don’t even bother taking your medical [exam], you’re going home.’”

Jones concluded, “Even in the places where justice cannot be found, we can build momentum. We can build hope, and we can build the fight for liberation!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #ToniJones #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #NOAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, March 31, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee held a rally for Trans Day of Visibility. The event took place at the UWM library and was co-sponsored by Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

This rally started on a somber note, with local trans musicians playing songs of solidarity and hope.

Sasha Gurin from SDS spoke to his experience as a trans youth and the importance of the student movement’s fight for equality of gender in schools. He too spoke of the need for the queer and trans community to fight back against Trump’s agenda, telling attendees that the struggle for trans liberation is principally one against the Trump agenda, and it is on us to unite with the struggles for Palestinian liberation, immigrant rights, and countless others.

A member of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee stated, “Our work for reproductive justice does not exist without the fight for trans rights.” They then spoke to today’s present fight, and the work to be done. “While trans folks are visible, they're not all protected, and visibility without protection just leaves people vulnerable. It leaves people vulnerable to attacks, and harm, to hate and violence, vulnerable to supreme court rulings like the one that just came in this morning.”

This event came the same day as a dangerous Supreme Court ruling which overturned Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy for minors. This dangerous ruling sets precedent for similar rulings in 26 other states with similar laws. While the attacks from the Trump administration continue, so do the defenses of the people.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #TransDayofVisibility #LGBTQ #Trans #SDS #StudentMovement #WomensMovement

Englewood, CO – On April 1, teachers and faculty across five schools of the Sheridan School District went on strike demanding union recognition and the reinstatement of their contract. Over 100 teachers, faculty and community members walked the picket lines demanding that the school district come back to the table for negotiations.

Tensions rose earlier this year when the school district passed a policy that stated they would not recognize staff without licenses in the union. That means school custodians, paraprofessionals on staff, bus drivers – workers who all keep the district’s schools running and operational – were not able to join. When contract negotiations fell apart, 98% of members voted to strike. While the Sheridan School District initially claimed that schools would stay open while the strike was ongoing, the school district was forced to cancel classes through the end of the week due to low staffing.

Kate Biester, president of the Sheridan Educators Association, reflecting on the start of the strike, said, “When we lost our contract for the teachers, it also lost what the district was giving in good faith to the rest of their workers – and we decided that wasn't good enough anymore. And we need to fully enfranchise all of the workers in our school district and give them all bargaining rights.”

According to the union, students and the local community have been very important every step of the way. Earlier this year, high school students in Sheridan School District walked out in support of the teachers, and elementary school students helped chant alongside their teachers.

“There's always been kind of like an undercurrent of community members, parents, students, really trying to make significant change in this community,” Biester said, ”And I feel like right now it's just all coming to a head, all the work we've done in different spaces over the last few years is showing up all at once.”

On day two of the strike, organizers hosted a car rally, driving by the district’s administration building with a truck from members of Teamsters Local 455 leading the way in solidarity.

Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) showed up in solidarity as well, decorating cars for the car rally. Circe Conway, an FRSO general member and former Starbucks Workers United organizer pointed out, “The more people that join the union, the more people that are eligible for and benefit from the union, the more powerful it’s going to get, and that builds a lot of worker power.”

After the car rally, workers went back to their strike shifts one more time before closing the day out in high spirits.

#EngelwoodCO #CO #Labor #Sheridan #Educators #Strike #Featured

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has confused people across the political spectrum. The Trump administration’s apparent unpreparedness for the war, the severe (and predictable) economic consequences of Iran closing off the Strait of Hormuz, and the total lack of any attempt to build support for the war among the U.S. population have made the war appear irrational to many people. So irrational, in fact, that some feel there must be another explanation — that Israel has somehow tricked, persuaded, or forced the U.S. into launching a war on Iran on Israel’s behalf. But this gets things backwards. When you look at Israel’s role in the Middle East, it becomes clear that the U.S. calls the shots.

Iran has been in the U.S. gunsights for a very long time, for a few reasons. Iran has a tremendous amount of oil. Iran’s geographic location gives it the ability to impact world oil trade, as people in the U.S. are quickly learning as they watch gas prices climb. And Iran has also stood up for Palestinian liberation in a major way, launching attacks on Israel in response to Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people and supporting pro-Palestinian military organizations in Lebanon and Yemen. For all these reasons, the U.S. not only wants to overthrow Iran’s government, it wants to control it.

Since October 7, 2023, millions of people in the U.S. have rallied to the Palestinian cause for national liberation. They’ve seen Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Many people are still stunned by the U.S.’s unyielding support for Israel, from both Biden and Trump, as the Palestinian death toll continues to rise. People have also seen the arrogance of Israeli officials as they’ve dictated how U.S. students protesting the war should be punished. It makes sense that many people see this latest war and think it must be at the behest of Israel, because most people in the U.S. aren’t taught the truth about U.S. imperialism in the Middle East.

But the U.S. doesn’t send Israel billions of dollars a year in financial and military support out of the kindness of its heart. Israel’s non-stop attempts at expansion, and its attacks on Palestine, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq over the decades have had a continual destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. Israel’s endless wars create constant refugee crises, destroy infrastructure, weaken or collapse governments, and create opportunities for the U.S. to pit countries in the Middle East against each other. This is all very good news for big U.S. businesses who want to control Middle Eastern oil, natural resources and labor.

Israel simply would not be able to carry out its crimes without U.S. funding. The U.S could stop Israel any time it wants to by just cutting the financial support. And the U.S. doesn’t stop Israel because it supports Israel’s actions — they’re a good thing for the capitalist rulers of the U.S.

Controlling Iran has been a stated goal of U.S. foreign policy since Iran’s parliament and Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized Iran’s oil in 1951, just three years after the Nakba — the forced expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland — and the birth of the state of Israel. British intelligence and the CIA launched a coup, taking Mosaddegh out of power and turning power back over to the notorious monarch Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The shah had no qualms about U.S. companies taking 40% of Iran’s oil shares — shares that belonged to the Iranian people. The shah ruled with U.S. support despite mounting unpopularity among Iranians.

In 1978 Iranians led a revolution that got rid of the shah and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. This meant no more oil profits for U.S. companies and a new, major force resisting U.S. imperialism in the Middle East. Iran’s support for anti-imperialist movements, opposition to Israel, and steadfast support for Palestinian liberation in particular, have cemented Iran as a target of U.S. aggression. To whatever extent the war on Iran is about protecting Israel, it’s about protecting it as a tool of U.S. aggression in the Middle East.

When right-winger Joe Kent resigned as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center last month, he said in a resignation letter that Israel and the U.S. media “deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined [Trump’s] America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.” Kent also criticized U.S. involvement in the Syrian Civil War, claiming it was fought for Israel too. Make no mistake, Kent is not anti-war — he served 11 combat tours himself. People have made a lot of hay out of Kent’s remarks, perhaps out of the hope that if even a far-right figure like Kent could see that the war on Iran is a bad thing, other politicians would too, and would intervene to stop the war.

But Kent is missing the big picture. Joe Biden put it pretty well all the way back in 1986 when he was on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, when he said, “Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region.” But there’s a difference between the interests of Biden or Trump or all the other politicians who have supported endless violence against Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Palestine, and the interests of the vast majority of the people of the U.S. It’s ordinary working people that will have to deal with the economic consequences of war on Iran. Meanwhile, the big capitalists hope to make billions. And they’re using Israel as a tool to do it.

#Commentary #Opinion #Iran #Israel #AntiWarMovement

The Grand Rapids Alliance is stunned but not surprised at the decision by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker to shield the murderers of Da’Quain Tre Johnson. We condemn this decision and are filled with emotion alongside his family as they will no longer get their day in court due to the inaction of the justice system in Grand Rapids. We call upon the Attorney General Nessel to rectify this and bring charges against these officers.

Once again, we see a justice system that protects the powerful and not the broader community. We see decisions made behind closed doors with no explanation in court. The police department plays public relations games while investigations are ongoing, tainting evidence and swaying the public before any decision can be made. Officers are empowered to be judge, jury, and executioner with no recourse for the victim or the community.

The city should launch an independent 3rd party investigation immediately and begin a review of its policy of deadly force by police officers. We stand by the Johnson family as they pursue a civil case against the city. We renew our call for community control of the police department. Until those who use deadly force are held accountable by the community they are supposed to keep safe, peace is not possible.

Justice for Da’Quain Tre Johnson!

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #DaQuainTreJohnson #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities