Chicago, IL – On Friday morning, March 21, over 50 protesters gathered outside the Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI) office in downtown Chicago. They came to demand that ISBI and Vice Chair Michael Frerichs, who currently sits as the Illinois state treasurer, divest from Israeli genocide, apartheid and occupation.

Chicago, IL – A flood of red shirts washed into the downtown headquarters of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on Thursday afternoon, March 20, during the March Board of Education meeting. Members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) gathered to demand the settlement of their contract after nearly a year of negotiations.

Chicago, IL – On March 19, a crowd of more than 100 United Airlines flight attendants and supporters gathered between departure terminals 1 and 2 at O’Hare International Airport. They demanded a decent contract and made clear that they were ready to strike.

Chicago, IL – Health care workers and veterans have been protesting at VA Hospitals across the country as President Donald Trump and his multibillionaire sidekick Elon Musk attempt to gut healthcare for veterans. Union members who work at VA Hospitals have been in the forefront of the fight to save veteran benefits.

Chicago, IL – On Thursday February 27, over 100 students at the University of Illinois Chicago walked out of classes to protest racist Republican attacks on immigrants. The walk out was called by the UIC chapter of New Students for a Democratic Society as part of a national SDS week of action to demand ICE off campus, no deportations, and legalization for all.

Chicago, IL – In the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, February 28, around 150 students walked out of Sullivan High School to protest against ICE. The students, with support of community groups, were able to have a successful walkout and add to the visible resistance in Chicago.

The Immigrants’ Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC – CAARPR) played a big supporting role in this walkout, helping students with flyering-materials, posters, banners, megaphone, etc. The IRWC met the students outside, alongside other community groups like Rad Rogers Park, Kabataan Alliance, and New Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Illinois Chicago (New SDS at UIC).

Chicago, IL – The congregants at Healing Temple Church on Chicago’s West Side welcomed veteran community organizers to a rally against attacks on their beloved city, on March 1.

150 people came to the church to defend Mayor Brandon Johnson, who, along with several other progressive mayors has been called to testify before racist Republicans in Congress. This is a continuation of the Trump agenda's attacks on Chicago for being a progressive city with strong movement forces.

Chicago, IL- On Friday night, February 21, Freedom Road Socialist Organization held an event celebrating Black history and international solidarity in the Black liberation movement. The event took place in the office of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) on the city’s South Side and consisted of a panel of speeches and some performances representing Black, Palestinian and Chicano liberation, as well as youth and labor struggles.

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, February 11, over 70 students rallied and marched at the University of Illinois at Chicago to defend immigrant rights after a rise in ICE raids.

The protest was called by New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC (New SDS at UIC) in coordination with the emergency national week of action called by National New SDS. Some of the endorsing campus organizations included Anakbayan, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA), Jewish Student Collective (JSC), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and Radical Public Health (RPH).

Chicago, IL – The streets of Little Village in Chicago were filled with the sounds of drums and voices, February 8, as a crowd of 1500 people of all ages moved through this historic Mexicano/Chicano neighborhood.

Marchers representing a coalition of 30 organizations came together in response to the call by the Legalization for All Network for national days of action to stop the attacks on immigrants.

By Eliza Schultz and Bill Aiman

Chicago, IL – On Thursday January 30, UPS announced a major cutback in Amazon package deliveries, with the goal of dropping over 50% of the volume from the company’s largest customer by June 2026. In conjunction, UPS is looking to permanently shutter 10% of buildings, shrink their fleet of vehicles and lay off workers.

The plan to close more buildings comes on the heels of the hard fought 2023 Teamsters contract, which resulted in major wage gains for part-timers and the end of the 2-tier system among package car drivers. The credible threat of a strike forced UPS to concede to the union’s demands in contract negotiations and look elsewhere for cost savings. Last year UPS laid off 12,000 corporate employees and announced major investments in the automation of hub operations as part of their “Network of the Future” initiative.

Chicago, IL – El frío extremo no pudo parar a la Coalición para Detener la Agenda de Trump, que movilizó a 2500 personas hacia la Plaza Federal en el centro de Chicago para protestar contra la inauguración de Donald Trump.

Bajo el frío sol del mediodía, los manifestantes se reunieron en la Plaza, marcharon hacia la Torre Trump, y luego se manifestaron una segunda vez ahí – todo para marcar la nueva fase de lucha en la que el movimiento por la justicia social enfrentará graves peligros ante la agenda de Donald Trump y sus aliados republicanos.

Chicago, IL – On January 20, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration and Martin Luther King Day, members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) joined over 80 organizations to protest Trump’s plans for mass deportations.

2500 protesters gathered in Chicago’s Federal Plaza, bundled to protect themselves from frigid temperatures with below zero windchill. Chants included, “When immigrants’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Chicago, IL – Negative wind chill could not keep the Coalition to Stop the Trump Agenda from mobilizing 2500 people to Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump.

In the cold midday sun, protesters rallied at the Plaza, marched to Trump Tower, and then rallied a second time there – all to mark a new phase of struggle that will see the social justice movement face grave dangers in the agenda of Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans.

Chicago, IL – 300 activists, mostly from Latino communities, and many who are immigrants, packed into City Hall this morning to oppose an attack by city council members against Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance.

Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada kicked off the rally with chants alternating between Spanish and English. “When Black people are under attack, what do you do?” “Stand up, fight back!”

Chicago, IL – To coincide with Human Rights week, dozens of protesters led by Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) and Boycott Divest Sanctions – Chicago (BDS) descended on the offices of the Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI), December 13 in a militant action demanding Illinois divest over $120 million worth of bonds from Israel.

Chicago, IL – More than 500 protesters gathered in downtown Chicago on Wednesday, November 6, to denounce the rotten system that will return Donald Trump to the White House early next year, and to demand a people’s agenda and a free Palestine.

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, October 29, over 50 student and community activists gathered in the quad at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to demand an end to the illegal U.S. blockade of Cuba. This solidarity action was prompted because on October 30, the United Nations was set to vote on a resolution submitted by Cuba calling for an end to the brutal blockade imposed by the United States government.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Anti-War Committee of Chicago.

The Anti-War Committee of Chicago strongly condemns the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designation of Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a sanctioned entity and gross slander as a “sham charity.”

Chicago, IL – The resignation of the entire Chicago Board of Education on October 4 exemplifies a new phase of the fight for Chicago's public schools. Current contract negotiations are happening with a mayor who is a former teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer, and amidst school board elections coming up on November 5, both of which are unprecedented in Chicago's history. The Black and brown and working-class people of the city have an opportunity to undo the damage done to the public school system by decades of systematic defunding under neoliberal mayors, and to take further steps towards community control of the schools.

“None of the members leaving the current board planned to continue onto the hybrid board, and none are running for election,” the outgoing board said in a joint statement with Mayor Brandon Johnson. “With the unprecedented increase in board membership, transitioning new members now will allow them time to orient and gain critical experience prior to welcoming additional elected and appointed members in 2025.”