Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) was founded to advocate for immigrant rights and fight against the capitalist-backed policies that target and criminalize Jacksonville’s immigrant communities.

Since its inception, JIRA has fought to end collaboration between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), halt the use of local jails for ICE detention, and protect undocumented individuals from repression.

Jacksonville, FL – Around three dozen community members gathered in front of Jacksonville City Hall on Tuesday late afternoon to say no to a projected billion-dollar proposal to build a new jail and incarcerate more Jacksonville residents.

Jacksonville, FL – On Sunday, February 9, over 100 people gathered outside Mariscos El Pacifico, a restaurant in a Jacksonville neighborhood with a large immigrant population, to show support and solidarity with the immigrant community.

The protest, organized by the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA), brought together a diverse coalition of activists, families, students and labor unionists to demand an end to deportations and the persecution of immigrant neighbors.

Jacksonville, FL – On January 20, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a broad coalition of 20 organizations united to bring out over 150 people to the Duval County Courthouse to protest Trump’s agenda. Hearing from speakers representing various struggles, the people of Jacksonville affirm their fight for national liberation movements, workers, immigrants, LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights and more.

Jacksonville, FL – On Friday evening, December 6, the air was electric as the inaugural Southern Regional Organizing Conference (SROC) of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) kicked off with a rally outside Café Resistance. Over 200 attendees gathered to connect, reflect and prepare for the intensive days ahead.

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, November 16, people of conscience in Jacksonville rallied in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Over 100 protesters demanded an arms embargo on Israel, chanting “Israel bombs, USA pays!” Protesters also had local demands for the Jacksonville Port Authority-JAXPORT to cut ties with the shipping and logistics company Maersk, as long as that company continues to ship weapons and weapons components used by Israel. 

Jacksonville, FL – On November 7, Jacksonville community organizers gathered at the courthouse to denounce the recent election of Donald Trump as the 47th resident, following his victory.

Jacksonville, FL – Alrededor de 55 trabajadores de servicios de alimentos y miembros del Local 2941 de AFSCME se manifestaron frente a las oficinas de la empresa Chartwells el lunes en Jacksonville, expresando su descontento contra lo que describen como salarios de pobreza, falta crónica de personal y falta de respeto por parte de la gerencia.

Jacksonville, FL – Around 55 food service workers and members of AFSCME Local 2941 rallied in front of Chartwells company offices on Monday in Jacksonville, speaking out against what workers described as poverty wages, chronic understaffing and a lack of respect from management.

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday afternoon, October 19, the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) became a platform for calls for justice as over 80 people rallied to honor Dejuane “Woo” Hayden, a 30-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by police officer Bradley Griffitts. Organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), the event drew family, friends, and community members demanding accountability and answers.

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, October 5, around 150 protesters congregated outside of Jacksonville’s port authority (Jaxport), as part of the Palestinian Youth Movement’s International Day of Action, to demand that the port cut all ties with Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping and logistics companies. Jaxport has had a contract with the shipping behemoth since 2015.

Fight Back News Service is circulating this call from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression inviting organizers in the South to attend a regional organizing conference.

This December 6th-8th, the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (NAARPR) is convening our inaugural Southern Regional Organizing Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. This conference will bring together progressive forces in the South fighting for Black liberation, Indigenous rights and land sovereignty. We are fighting back against police crimes and political repression to free all those unjustly incarcerated as well as defending all progressive movements fighting for a just society. NAARPR, which arose out of the movement to Free Angela Davis, was refounded in 2019 with well over two dozen branches and affiliate organizations nationwide. Since the 2020 George Floyd uprisings, NAARPR has seen a growth in new organizing struggles in cities across the country; specifically, in the Black Belt Region of the Deep South, the historic homelands of Africans trafficked to North America, where the majority of their descendants still live today.

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, August 24, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) held its annual Black August event, remembering the tradition of what Black August means to the struggle for Black liberation, along with spotlighting various struggles happening in the community. Around 70 community members attended the event, which took place at Cafe Resistance off Soutel Road, one of the centers of the Black community in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville, FL – On Monday, July 29, around 75 attendees gathered at Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park in Jacksonville for a vigil honoring the life of Sonya Massey.

Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville community joined together for a vigil on Tuesday, June 11, to honor the life of 36-year-old Justin Knight. The community joined Knight 's family and friends around the newly rebuilt Friendship Fountain in downtown Jacksonville. Loved ones, along with community members, shared about Knight's life while also demanding answers about his death.

Jacksonville, FL – Over 100 teachers and community members rallied at the Duval County School Board office over mass layoffs and school closures. The rally comes after Duval County Public Schools has threatened to lay off 11% of its workforce and shutter over a dozen schools.

Jacksonville, FL – More than 200 community members rallied alongside Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) to protest the visit of Vice President Harris, May 1, who had come to campaign the same day the Republican-led state began enforcing the six-week abortion ban.

Jacksonville, FL – The 16 student and community activists who were arrested Thursday evening, May 2, after taking part in the Gaza solidarity encampment at University of North Florida were all been freed from the Duval County Jail in Jacksonville on Friday at 6 p.m.

Jacksonville, FL – Students for a Democratic Society at the University of North Florida began a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza on Tuesday, April 30. They set up on the UNF Green to demand that UNF divest from any partnerships with the racist state of Israel, and to show solidarity with college students across the country protesting for the people of Gaza.

Jacksonville, FL – Student activists and others, led by University of North Florida Students for a Democratic Society, started a Palestine solidarity encampment on UNF campus, demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel as well as complete divestment from Israel financially and breaking of academic ties. SDS activists are also demanding UNF end its partnerships with weapons manufactures like Raytheon and Boeing, all responsible for creating weapons being used by the racist Israeli apartheid state.