Hundreds gathered at Hemming Park directly outside City Hall on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, awaiting news of whether Jacksonville's city council would pass an expanded Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) protecting LGBTQ community members from discrimination. Speakers, musicians, and DJs led the crowd in chants, songs and speeches as the city council debated inside on amendments to the bill.

Jacksonville, FL – Over 300 people gathered outside the Duval County Courthouse on Jan. 31 to call for the repeal of President Donald Trump's anti-Muslim refugee ban.

On Jan. 23, President Donald Trump signed an executive action withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Negotiated by then-president Barack Obama, the TPP would have standardized trade between the U.S., Japan, Mexico, and nine other countries in the Pacific Rim, lowering tariffs and regulations between countries to favor corporations. The agreement drew heavy criticism from labor unions and environmental groups, who argued the TPP would hurt workers and hamper efforts to address climate change.

Traducción por Edward C. Tolentino

Every December, I put together my list of top 10 movies for the year. Usually I've missed a couple that would probably make the list, and this year is no different – The Birth of a Nation; Snowden and Weiner, to name three. Nevertheless, here's my Top 10 of 2016:

Jacksonville, FL – On Dec. 8, President-elect Donald Trump announced fast food executive Andy Puzder as his pick for Secretary of Labor. Puzder is the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owns Hardee's, Carl’s Jr. and several other national chains.

Jacksonville, FL – On Dec. 1, president-elect Donald Trump announced that he plans to appoint retired Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis for Secretary of Defense. Trump made the announcement at a ‘victory rally’ in Cincinnati, Ohio, celebrating his election last month.

Jacksonville, FL – On Nov. 18, Teamsters in the U.S. and Canada awoke to find that Jim Hoffa had won re-election as president of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters after 17 years in office. Instead of the overwhelming electoral victory that Hoffa usually experiences, the Teamsters old guard lost in the Southern Region, the Central Region, the U.S. as a whole, and only barely squeaked by in the International vote.

On Nov. 15, rank-and-file Teamsters in the southern U.S. delivered a huge blow to Jim Hoffa Jr., the current general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The Teamsters United slate, which is challenging Hoffa's 17-year rule of the union, won the Southern Region by a vote of 10,789 to 8227. John Palmer and Kimberley Schultz, candidates with Teamsters United, will become the new vice presidents of the Southern Region.

Jacksonville, FL – About a dozen rank-and-file Teamsters gathered at a local bar in downtown Jacksonville to watch the debate for the upcoming International Brotherhood of Teamsters election. This October's union election will be one of the year's most important events for organized labor.