Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

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By staff

 Movement of Rank and File Educators general assembly.

New York, NY – On February 4, the Movement of Rank and File Educators held their general assembly this month in Manhattan. Over 50 teachers came together to discuss how to organize around Black Lives Matter in their schools during the upcoming week of action.

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By staff

Families who have lost loved ones to police violence demand accountability.

Jacksonville, FL – On January 24 families who have lost loved ones at the hands of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office rallied at James Weldon Johnson Park, outside of Jax City Hall. The event, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, centered on shared frustrations over delayed investigations, a lack of communication from authorities, and narratives that misrepresent their loved ones.

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By staff

New Orleans march honors the legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, January 19, 100 activists and community members marched through the busy streets of New Orleans to commemorate MLK’s long legacy.

The protest was headed by the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR). Demands included an end to deportations and justice for victims of police brutality.

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By Jasper Gill

National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression - Dallas at MLK march.

Dallas, TX – On January 19, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 97th anniversary of his birth, by participating in the MLK Day parade in Dallas. Marching through the streets with a banner reading “One day the South will recognize its real heroes” and “Freedom is a constant struggle,” NAARPR honored the radical legacy of MLK Jr.

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By La Comisión Afroamericana de la OSCL

La Comisión Afroamericana de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad condena inequívocamente el brutal tiroteo y asesinato de la observadora comunitaria desarmada Renee Good el enero 7 en Minneapolis por los agentes terroristas del ICE de Trump. Este asesinato ocurrió a solo unas cuadras de donde George Floyd fue asesinado en 2020.

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By staff

Charleston, SC – On January 19, Charleston’s Elbit Out Of South Carolina (EOSC) coalition marched with a large contingent in the city’s Martin Luther King Day parade. Around 40 community members carried Palestinian flags, large banners, and a variety of signs criticizing Elbit Systems of America for producing weapons for Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The coalition handed out hundreds of flyers with information about Elbit’s Charleston County facility as well as ways to get involved with the coalition's efforts to shut the factory down.

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By staff

Marching against police crimes in Orlando, Florida.

Orlando, FL – On Saturday, January 17, dozens of organizations joined a parade in downtown Orlando to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

While the parade included local police, one of the organizations that marched in the parade wanted to send a clear message to the police, the city and county governments to hold police accountable, jail killer cops, and reinstitute a civilian police review board.

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By African-American Commission of FRSO

The African-American Commission of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization unequivocally condemns the brutal shooting and killing of unarmed community observer Renee Good on January 7 in Minneapolis by Trump‘s ICE terror agents. This murder happened only a few blocks from where George Floyd was killed in 2020.

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By staff

Tallahassee, Florida march demands city preserve graves of enslaved people.

Tallahassee, FL – On January 10, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee marched and rallied with local residents to protest the sale of the city-owned golf course to the Capital City Country Club (CCCC). The land is known to include a historic cemetery containing the remains of at least 17 formerly enslaved people, with evidence of many more that have not been marked. 

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By staff

Human Rights Day march in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, December 7, the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) hosted a commemoration of International Human Rights Day, answering the national call for a week of action by the Anti-War Action Network. International Human Rights Day, observed annually on December 10, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948.

The event began with a march, followed by a program portion featuring a panel of local organizers, a keynote speaker, and the presentation of the 4th annual Lucille Berrien Humanitarian Award.

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By Gabriel Miller

Participants in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression conference.

Chicago, IL – 500 organizers convened at the Chicago Teacher’s Union Hall from Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16 for the 52nd anniversary national conference of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

The conference was the fourth of its kind since the refounding of NAARPR in 2019. It showcased the tremendous growth of the organization and its fighting capacity since its original founding in 1973 out of the movement to free Angela Davis. 530 people registered for the conference, representing 31 NAARPR branches and affiliate organizations.

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By Philip Nguyen

Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission meeting on reparations for African Americans.

San Jose, CA – On the evening of Thursday, November 13, around 25 people gathered at the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission meeting to advocate for reparations for African Americans. Those present encouraged the commission to pass a recommendation on to the board of supervisors to assemble a reparations task force to research how reparations could be implemented in the county.

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By Loretta VanPelt

George Floyd's aunt, Angela Harrelson.

Minneapolis, MN – On a rainy Tuesday evening, October 14, folks gathered at the Hennepin County Government Plaza to commemorate what would have been George Floyd’s 51st birthday.

Angela Harrelson, the aunt of George Floyd, kicked off the program and asked for everyone to stay united in fighting for justice and that she was grateful for the folks who showed up to celebrate her nephew’s birthday.

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By Jon Abraham

Washington DC protest against legislation that attacks on Black youth and home rule.

Washington, DC – Over 100 community members, activists and organizers mobilized on September 30, in response to 14 racist bills Congress is trying to pass that strip DC of political power and attack Black youth.

This week, the Senate votes on HR 4922 – DC Crimes Act, HR 5143 – District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act, and HR 5125 – District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act. These bills aim to further criminalize homelessness, repeal local laws banning police from high-speed car chases, remove the ability for judges to sentence youth offenders below the mandatory minimum, lower the age of eligibility for juveniles to be tried as adults in D.C. for certain violent offenses from 16 years to 14 years of age, and so much more.

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By Freedom Road Socialist Organization

Assata Shakur was a fighter for freedom and an icon of the Black liberation movement. She came of age during the struggles of the 1960s and 70s, and everything that was good and powerful about that time, Assata embodied. The deep understanding that a better world is possible, and most importantly, the conviction to never give up. Never surrender.

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By Owen Frassetto

GVSU Students hold a moment of silence for Demartravion Reed at a vigil on campus.

Allendale, MI – The Sultry Xi Nu chapter of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority organized a vigil on the evening of Monday, September 22, at Grand Valley State University to honor the life of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a young Black man who was found deceased on the campus of Delta State University in Mississippi last Monday. The rally was organized in partnership with the GVSU Pan-Hellenic Council and the Progressive Student Union.

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By African-American Commission of FRSO

The African American Commission of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the occupation of Washington DC by Trump in his deployment of the National Guard and federal police to DC’s streets. Trump, at the press conference announcing his decision Monday, evoked Section 740 of the DC Home Rule Act, which allows for the federal government to take direct control of the DC Metro Police. Trump in his press conference talked about giving DC police the power to do “whatever the hell they want.”

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By Kobi Guillory

Chicago Teachers Union at the Bud Billiken parade.

Chicago, IL – The South Side celebrated the last days of summer at the 96th Bud Billiken parade on Saturday, August 9. The Bud Billiken is the largest African American parade in the country. Young people received school supplies while dancers and musicians showed off their skills. Some organizations also raised political demands such as community control of police, fully funded public services, and progressive taxation.

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By Kobi Guillory

Chicago, IL – Ryan Coogler’s movie Sinners is densely packed with social commentary. Much has been written about the film's reflections on a range of topics. This review is grounded in how the film addresses national liberation. Sinners demonstrates through its plot that Black liberation is incompatible with capitalism.

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By staff

A group of protestors hold a press conference in an ornate hall, holding large paper cutouts of slushie drinks with writing on them.

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday morning, July 16, hundreds of people packed the Chicago city hall lobby ahead of the city council meeting. Many youth and community organizations stood united in opposition to the racist snap curfew ordinance that was put forward by Alderman Brian Hopkins two months before. This snap curfew would give the Chicago Police Department unchecked power in the instance of a mass gathering to institute a curfew with only 30 minutes notice and engage in mass arrests.

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