San José, CA – On August 31, Silicon Valley Immigration Committee held San José’s 54th Chicano Moratorium commemoration at the San José Peace and Justice Center.
Around 50 people heard speakers on the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium and other issues related to the Chicano liberation and anti-war movements. The keynote speaker was Carlos Montes, co-founder of the Brown Berets, Freedom Road Socialist Organization Central Committee member, and co-chair of the FRSO Chicano, Latino and Other Oppressed Nationalities Commission.
East Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, August 24, around 200 Chicano activists and community members came out to Rúben Salazar Park to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium.
It was with shock and a heavy heart that members of the Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization learned of the passing of one of our longest tenured general members, Rhize Ermel, on August 28, 2024.
Rhize joined the organization after the conclusion of the March on the DNC in Milwaukee in 2020. She brought a combination of experiences, perspectives and skills to the table as an activist and comrade.
Chicago, IL – On Thursday, August 29, New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) started the week strong with a demonstration on campus, with about 90 students, demanding U.S. hands off Lebanon, an end of U.S. aid to Israel and to stand strong with Palestine.
Speakers from other progressive student organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UIC, and Anakbayan at UIC, also spoke. The rally strengthened the students’ message of funding for education – such as cultural centers and student resources – not for genocide, war and occupation in Palestine.
Tallahassee, FL – On August 25, over 80 local community members showed up at Common Grounds Books, a local LGBTQ-friendly bookstore, to support their “Drag Story Hour” event which was threatened with protest by a religious organization, America Needs Fatima.
According to Alex Spencer, the owner of Common Grounds Bookstore, her shop received a threat of protest. In an email, America Needs Fatima reads, “We must peacefully and legally say NO to the homosexual plan to expose young children to indecency, impurity, and unnatural vice.” Drag Story Hour is a monthly event held at Common Ground in which a local drag artist reads storybooks to children.
Chicago, IL – More than 11,000 people marched for Palestine on the final evening of the Democratic National Convention, August 22. While Kamala Harris was giving her presidential nominee acceptance speech inside, the protesters outside chanted against the U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza. Delegates inside the convention report hearing demonstrators on the streets inside the convention hall.
Tallahassee, FL – On Sunday, August 18, about 30 community members gathered at the Florida Capitol building to protest Kamala Harris and her policies regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Protesters held signs within sight of the busy intersection in front of the capitol complex stating, “We won’t vote for genocide” and “Arms embargo now!”
Chicago, IL – On August 19, over 20,000 people marched on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel and an end to the genocide in Gaza. The march was the result of over a year of work by the Coalition to March on the DNC. Marchers came within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention, putting heat on United States government as it facilitates a genocide.
Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, told the crowd, “Black liberation, immigrant rights, reproductive rights, women's rights, workers’ rights, the right to strike, the right to unionize. The rank-and-file workers are here, the Black community members are here, the documented and undocumented immigrants are here, how powerful this is to be together here, all of us.”
Milwaukee, WI – Nearly 200 people marched through the streets of downtown Milwaukee on the afternoon of August 17, demanding an end to the genocide in Palestine and denouncing Democrats like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for facilitating Israel’s crimes.
Grand Rapids, MI – West Michigan residents gathered on Friday, August 16, to rally support for the upcoming March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC), set for August 19 in Chicago. The march, aimed at standing with Palestine and advancing the People’s Agenda, is expected to be a historic, family-friendly event.
