Tallahassee, FL – Around 100 people came out to support a Defend Roe v. Wade protest on May 12 at the Florida Capitol building.

“Abortion is healthcare, and I will always support that constitutional right. I want Tallahassee to know I stand with them on this issue,” said City Commissioner Jack Porter. “Passing a resolution affirming my support for women’s healthcare and reproductive rights in general was a start, but there’s more we can do. We can provide unbiased information about abortion, create a supportive environment for people to make their own healthcare decisions, regulate misleading practices at certain clinics, and provide financial support to low-income residents.”

Speakers addressed the danger that getting rid of Roe v. Wade would have for working-class people, women and trans people in Tallahassee. Most pointed to the fact that banning abortions would increase the danger and lower the living standards of working-class people in Tallahassee, but especially women, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Speakers brought up the current U.S. shortage of baby formula as especially ironic. Although U.S. politicians claim abortion bans are to save lives, the lack of baby formula – and the lack of actual funding for parental leave in our country – says otherwise.

On the topic of baby formula: “I had to climb the shelves to pick up the last box. We were lucky to obtain that one box, and my nephew is only two months old,” said Asia Reign, a member of Students for a Democratic Society and a speaker at the protest. “And new parents struggle to obtain the things they need to take care of their babies, or to pay rent, or to pay for gas, or food, or clothes. Yet the U.S. government has the time to contemplate our right to abortion. This is an attack on the body autonomy and privacy of people across the gender spectrum. Democrats could codify Roe and stop dangling the carrot in front of our face, but they don’t.”

Chisara Amanze, a future Florida State University student, spoke about the need for abortion access for everyone, stating, “I believe people should have the choice of whether they want to get an abortion. I understand it’s not necessarily something that everyone feels comfortable for doing, but abortion is a human right.”

#TallahasseeFL #Tallahassee #abortion #RoeVWade #reproductiveRights

Tallahassee, FL – On February 16, organizations from around the state came to Tallahassee to stand up for reproductive rights and against HB5. On that day, the Florida House debated the unconstitutional and restrictive anti-abortion bill, HB5.

HB5 would eliminate any abortions after 15 weeks, with no exception in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking, and criminalize medical professionals who provide abortions.

Standing against this bill are organizations from around the state including FSU/UNF/USF Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC), Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC), and statewide chapters of Planned Parenthood.

Kill the bill: Students fight back

To begin the day, Florida chapters of Students for a Democratic Society held a rally of around 70 people on the Historic Florida Capitol steps to demand reproductive rights for all. “The fact that [SDS chapters] drove hours across Florida with just a few days' notice to fight this bill shows the dedication we have,” stated Cas Casanova of FSU SDS. The students spoke on topics ranging from the future of Roe v. Wade to how HB5 impacts oppressed groups. One SDSer asserted that Florida Republicans’ “facade of concern for the Black community is just another attempt to gaslight us into silence.”

This was SDS’s second statewide action against HB5; the first action ended with the House trying to silence SDSers to no avail. In the face of repeated repression, FSU student Alana Felton of FSU GenAction stood up and declared “We will not go away, and we will not be silenced!”

Defeat the abortion ban: The community continues the struggle

After the student protest, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee held a protest of over 30 people to further the demands of reproductive justice.

“Reproductive justice is an issue that affects everyone, whether you have a uterus or not,” said Delilah Pierre, field director for TCAC.

Taylor Cook, a speaker at both TCAC and SDS’s protest, talked about the bill’s effects on working-class communities in Florida: “These bills are an attack on Black and brown people and on poor people.”

While the community was rallying, the Florida House abruptly began debating HB5. TCAC quickly ended the rally and flooded the gallery.

All day occupation: Planned Parenthood v. abortion ban

While the protests continued outside, Planned Parenthood chapters from around the state occupied the Capitol gallery the entire day. Beginning with a march to the capitol, Planned Parenthood was still at the capitol after midnight.

With a force of more than 100 volunteers, Planned Parenthood demanded that HB5 be voted down in the House. “Abortion bans are dangerous, racist, classist and deeply invasive and we’re going to keep fighting them,” stated Ally Walchak from Planned Parenthood.

Bill passes, struggle continues

As sponsoring Representative Erin Grall ® began her closing remarks, which were riddled with disgusting anti-abortion arguments, SDSers began chants of “My body, my choice.” Police and capitol staff aggressively grabbed the students, pushed them out of the hall, and demanded they leave. As the SDSers and Planned Parenthood representatives exited the elevator to leave, they were confronted and detained by Capitol Police at the order of the Florida Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls.

Every single pro-choice advocate, no matter if they chanted, was ‘trespassed’. This means that, for the next year, if they step inside of the Florida House, they will be arrested on the spot. Lauren Brenzel, a Planned Parenthood activist who never chanted and refused to take the trespassing charge, was subsequently arrested and held overnight in jail.

While Florida Republicans have fast tracked this bill through the legislative process, the bill remains unconstitutional as it violates Roe v. Wade. The Florida Republicans are hoping to pass this unconstitutional bill in hopes that Roe v. Wade will be overturned by the Supreme Court this summer. Students, community organizations and individuals around the country will continue to stand against repressive anti-abortion bills.

Dare to struggle! Dare to win!

#Tallahassee #abortion #DenverStudentsForADemocraticSociety #HB5

Capitol Police threatened to arrest organizers if they did not sign a trespassing warning that indefinitely banned them from entering the Florida Capitol Building. Planned Parenthood activist Lauren Brenzel was arrested and detained for not signing the trespassing warning. Both Brenzel and Lakey Love, the leader of the Florida Coalition for Transgender Liberation and a member of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, were threatened with trespassing warnings at the capitol, being targeted for their role in organizing against HB 7, a bill that would seriously restrict any serious discussion of race, gender or sexuality in the classroom, and HB 5. Love and Brenzel had not participated in any civil disobedience at the time of their arrest.

“This year the sergeant at arms in the House of Representatives tried to violate me for trespassing when I was doing nothing wrong. That would have blocked me from the Florida House Office Building for over a year, requiring permission from the House sergeant at arms to enter and enter only with a Capitol Police escort. I got them to drop the issue but only by having everyone in my group go live and film, demanding they give me a legitimate reason, and calling in a legal observer,” said Love.

Cas Casanova, an attendee at the HB5 hearing and a member of the Students for A Democratic Society, also commented on the situation, expressing disappointment in the conduct of the Florida House.

“We were told from the second we walked in that ‘freedom of speech doesn’t exist here’ [at the Florida House]. The voices of Floridians, from student to the community members, are not valued by our representatives or our government,” said Casanova.

SDS, TCAC, and other organizations vowed to fight against this repression and make sure organizers in Tallahassee have the right to protest injustice.

#Tallahassee #WomensMovement #Healthcare #reproductiveRights #HB5 #antiAbortion

“There’s a disconnect between management and local stores, it really just comes down to the fact that workers should have more voice in the companies they work for. We hope that our effort to unionize will inspire others,” said Calum Johnson, a barista and leading organizer of another Tallahassee Starbucks unionizing at John Knox Road. “We’re just trying to do what’s best for our store, and if any other stores in our district try to unionize, like Magnolia has, we will support them. We are here for all our stores in the district, whether they unionize or not.”

Some workers cited Starbucks’ COVID policy as a major reason they got involved in the union struggle. “When I got COVID, I had to use my sick time, about half of it to stay out for the two remaining shifts I would have been working, and I feel like it's such an unprecedented time we should get an expansion on that as well,” explained Elijah Reid, a barista. He went on to talk about the difficulties of working while understaffed.

“It’s very difficult for us to service customers properly, especially in the morning when we have a lot of mobile orders coming in and not enough workers on the floor and not enough machinery to keep up with it, because oftentimes we have to refund customers which I think is unfair to them and is stressful for us because then they’re upset,” said Reid.

Calum Johnson demanded better treatment from Starbucks, and an end to using tactics to stop union organizing: “I believe we could start by not scheduling meetings to give us misinformation and some intimidation, that’s what management can do.”

#Tallahassee #union #Starbucks

“There’s a disconnect between management and local stores, it really just comes down to the fact that workers should have more voice in the companies they work for. We hope that our effort to unionize will inspire others,” said Calum Johnson, a barista and leading organizer of another Tallahassee Starbucks unionizing at John Knox Road. “We’re just trying to do what’s best for our store, and if any other stores in our district try to unionize, like Magnolia has, we will support them. We are here for all our stores in the district, whether they unionize or not.”

Some workers cited Starbucks’ COVID policy as a major reason they got involved in the union struggle. “When I got COVID, I had to use my sick time, about half of it to stay out for the two remaining shifts I would have been working, and I feel like it's such an unprecedented time we should get an expansion on that as well,” explained Elijah Reid, a barista. He went on to talk about the difficulties of working while understaffed.

“It’s very difficult for us to service customers properly, especially in the morning when we have a lot of mobile orders coming in and not enough workers on the floor and not enough machinery to keep up with it, because oftentimes we have to refund customers which I think is unfair to them and is stressful for us because then they’re upset,” said Reid.

Calum Johnson demanded better treatment from Starbucks, and an end to using tactics to stop union organizing: “I believe we could start by not scheduling meetings to give us misinformation and some intimidation, that’s what management can do.”

#Tallahassee #union #Starbucks

This wave of union activity is especially remarkable in a city like Tallahassee, which has low union density. Right to work laws make it difficult to organize.

While the struggle at North Monroe Street has just started, union organizers have suggested creating a strike fund to receive financial support from other organizations and community members. Although excited about the level of community support, employees are already worried about the potential backlash from upper management.

There is a possibility of retaliation from Starbucks bosses. At a Starbucks location in Philadelphia, the National Labor Board of Relations found that Starbucks illegally discriminated against two employees organizing for better working conditions. They unlawfully spied on their conversations and gauged their support among fellow employees. Eventually Starbucks fired both of them in an attempt to stop future organizing. While they were reinstated and the NLRB held Starbucks responsible for their illegal actions in Philadelphia, conditions could be different in Florida.

Although uncertainty lies ahead, a Starbucks union in Tallahassee is unprecedented and could spread to the entire city.

#NorthMonroeStarbucks #Tallahassee #Starbucks

The negotiations had been six months in the making. The first offer made by the administration only gave raises to 21 out of 500 FAMU AFSCME employees.

The picket line will take place between 8 and 11 a.m. at the roundabout on Wahnish and FAMU Way.

Local 3343 President Andre Crumity believes the university could do better. “We have to bring awareness to what is happening on our campus. For far too long we have not been recognized – only through lip service, but never through action. We have to demonstrate why we believe that this administration has not been fair to its employees. We want results.”

Last year, FAMU President Larry Robinson’s salary increased from $385,000 to about $419,650.

According to Crumity, some employees have not had raises in almost a decade: “This is going on for too long. This is getting too old.”

#FAMU #AFSCME #Tallahassee #unionStruggle

“We have to fight every day and mourn every day. I don’t get a day when I can just mourn and not fight,” said Lakey Love, co-founder of the Florida Coalition for Trans Liberation (FC4TL)

Marching from the drum circle at Railroad Square to the Florida Historic Capitol Museum, members of the march eventually reached the Florida Capitol building, where people spoke about the importance of Transgender Day of Remembrance and their own personal history with coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Cas Casanova from Students for a Democratic Society spoke about their personal experience dealing with transphobia and homophobia in their own home, stating, “It makes me cry because I know what they’re feeling. Because I went through the same thing when I was in high school. I was the only gay person I knew who didn’t have accepting parents.” Their feelings echoed the experiences of trans and queer children who face systemic discrimination and alienation even from their own parents. “Waiting till you can escape a toxic situation to finally be who you are is not right.”

Delilah Pierre, field director for Tallahassee Community Action Committee, shared her story of beginning to understand her gender identity and the process of becoming a part of the LGBTQ+ community in Tallahassee. “When I met everyone in the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, and Lakey, and people in the Pride Student Union, and my friends from college, I finally started to not feel alone. I finally started to feel like I had a community. Like I could actually tell people how I felt. And actually, tell people what I faced. I would do anything, to make sure every single trans person in the world has that.”

Members ended the protest with a reading of 41 names of trans people murdered in the year 2021, as well as a moment of silence with candles. Love said: “I wanna remind everyone that we're here to mourn, but we're also here to fight.”

#Tallahassee #TallahasseeCommunityActionCommittee #TransgenderDayOfRemembrance

Organizations including the Dream Defenders, Planned Parenthood, Florida Coalition For Trans Liberation(FC4TL), Florida Rising and Black Voters Matter issued statements or spoke in support of the removal of Revell and a real response to Revell’s attendance at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) conference from the city manager and city commissioners.

Despite Revell’s claims that he was there as an individual, he appeared in his official uniform and spoke almost exclusively about his role as chief of Tallahassee Police Department. Revell violated the separation of church and state by using his position and title to suggest officers should be Christian, saying “What is it that you want for the men and women that serve your community every day? Hopefully at the very top of that list is for them to know Jesus Christ as their lord and savior.”

TCAC’s president and the district organizer for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Regina Joseph, spoke about Revell’s conduct and pledged to fight for his removal as chief of the Tallahassee Police Department. “We’re gonna make sure that Lawrence Revell is out. And that whoever supports him is out. Until my very last breath, I will fight to make sure these murderous, racist, homophobic cops are out of our community.”

Others spoke not just of LGBTQ+ discrimination but also the racism and profiling they see every day in their own lives. Isabela Casanova, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, pointed out the militarization of the police at their school. “Do you know how fucking sad it is that I walk through the hallways that I work in and the Black and brown kids in my class are afraid of the school police officer? Who is walking through an elementary school fully armed and for what?”

In addition to Revell’s participation in BGEA conference, he was also involved in the death of Tallahassee resident George “Lil Nuke” Williams in 1996, a crime which he was never held accountable for.

TCAC is also demanding the removal of City Manager Reese Goad. He appointed Revell to his position of police chief in 2019 in a completely undemocratic process and is unwilling to hold him accountable.

Speakers reiterated the need for a Community Police Accountability Council (CPAC) and a People’s Budget.

#Tallahassee #LawrenceRevell #TallahasseeCommunityActionCommitteeTCAC #TPD #BillyGrahamEvangelisticAssociation

Tallahassee, FL – Tallahassee Community Action Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Students for A Democratic Society held a protest, November 20, against the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two protesters in Kenosha. TCAC called an emergency protest the night before, urging community members to come out and fight against the white supremacist vigilantism.

Regina Joseph, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization denounced the acquittal, stating, “I am not surprised that this happened. That does not make my anger any less valid. Kyle Rittenhouse showed up to a protest, was met with police who talked to him, who knew what he was going to do, and allowed him to go into the protest. To ‘quote’ defend private property. Because in this country private property is more important than Black people.”

Joseph compared the lenient treatment of the racist killer to the treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters during the George Floyd Rebellion. “No matter what you do to fight in the most just way, it will be met with violence. We need to overthrow this racist, capitalist system, right now.”

Field director for the TCAC Delilah Pierre spoke about the incident and that November 20 was also Transgender Day of Remembrance, comparing the systemic violence transgender people face to the way the system supports white supremacist violence. Pierre stated, “Thinking about how many names, how many trans people have literally been killed by our system, by our state, by individuals who have been empowered to kill them, to murder them, without consequence.”

Pierre countered the claims made that Kyle Rittenhouse’s actions weren’t racist because he killed white people. She also pointed out the hypocrisy in the American justice system’s treatment of Black activists compared to racist and right-wing protesters, stating, “People in our own organization are facing more punishment than people who overran the Capitol.”

#Tallahassee #Kenosha #KyleRittenhouse #BLMTalla

Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of June 18, a vigil was held for Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, a 19-year-old student and activist from Tallahassee, Florida. Oluwatoyin (who was displaced due to unjust living conditions) was abducted by a man, assaulted and murdered earlier this week. Toyin had been out at Black Lives Matter protests in Tallahassee every day, fighting for justice for Tony McDade and other victims of police crimes.

The vigil provided a space for people to gather, light candles and give offerings for Oluwatoyin’s homegoing. There were many Black femmes, Black women, and Black non-men who spoke and shared poems with the group. The vigil was closed out by Monique Liston, who led everyone in a moment of silence and a declaration of love from the group to Oluwatoyin.

“Oluwatoyin Salau’s story is only one of many, but hers was heard, and if we can hear hers all the way from Florida there should be no reason we cannot listen to the Black girls in our very own communities,” said Alena Hix, one of the co-organizers of the vigil. “It is upsetting that it takes a tragedy from another state or city to reveal the stories and lives of the people around us, in the communities around us, stories that go ignored.”

“Toyin brought together a lovely group of people, a group of people that believed her and loved her,” Hix said. “It is important to remember how we treated Toyin, someone we all felt was a friend in our hearts, and show up for the Black girls of Milwaukee while they are still alive, amplify their voices, and believe them.”

Oluwatoyin’s tragic end is not just one isolated incident. Violence against Black women and girls happens far too often here and around the world. It is important to protect Black femmes, women and non-men in our own communities. Toyin’s vigil was kept standing so others can walk by and feel the gravity of what it means to lose such a young, vibrant light and to make everyone work harder to ensure this stops happening for good.

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #Tallahassee #OluwatoyinToyinSalau

Tallahassee, FL – Last weekend, Nia Wilson, an 18-year-old African American woman was brutally murdered by a white man, John Lee Cowell, in an Oakland, California Bay Area Rapid Transit station. Cowell also stabbed Nia’s sister, Malika Harris, who has been released from the hospital.

Cases like this are not unfamiliar to Black women. Black women face disproportionate levels of violence in every avenue. According to the Violence Policy Center, in 2000, Black women were murdered at a rate more than three times higher than white women. Not only do Black women face domestic violence at higher levels compared to other nationalities, but they are often the victims of police crimes – in which the media continually downplays or outright ignores Black women who have been sexually assaulted or killed by the police.

For instance, we can examine cases like former police officer Daniel Holtzclaw, who raped 13 Black women in Oklahoma.

Recently, Cynthia Clements was fatally shot by a white police Lieutenant Christian Jensen in Elgin, Illinois.

Furthermore, this year alone in Florida, four Black trans women have been killed, with the killers still on the loose. Even in death, Black trans women, like Sasha Garden, continue to be misgendered and humiliated by the police and the media.

The media always finds ways to portray Black women in a negative light, again, even in death. Some news outlets have run pictures of Nia Wilson posing with a handgun. This is completely irrelevant, as owning a handgun is a legal right and Nia was not even armed.

Since the founding of the United States, Black women have been brutalized and killed to maintain the white supremacist and capitalist power structure.

We must demand that John Lee Cowell be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Demand that all cops guilty of police crimes, including those against Black women, be arrested and jailed. Demand full and equal rights.

We say her name – Nia Wilson, for all Black women who can no longer speak.

#Tallahassee #TallahasseeFL #AfricanAmerican #Racism #Antiracism #BlackLivesMatter #NiaWilson #sayHerName

Tallahassee, FL – Around 100 Dream Defenders and community members gathered in Lake Ella Park, Aug. 18, to speak out against the police murder of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. The rally also focused on the injustice of police brutality and systematic racism perpetuated by the U.S. The crowd was tired of the criminalization of Black and Brown people.

Dream Defenders President Brian Marshall started off the action, stating, “We must no longer stand for this New Jim Crow system and we must put an end to the criminalization of our youth.” The demonstrators then marched on the Tallahassee Police Department. The crowd was upbeat with their hands up, chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot! “ Protesters gathered at the entrance of the Police Department where one by one, protesters voiced their anger with the racist status quo.

The rally not only brought attention to the killing of Mike Brown but also to brought to light to the misuse of police power and instances of police brutality in the Tallahassee community.

Vice president of the Dream Defenders, Regina Joseph, spoke on police misuse of power. She recounted the horrific case of a police shooting at a Tallahassee club. An unarmed teenager, Duane Strong, was killed by a police officer in the parking lot. The officer later claimed Strong attempted to back into the officer’s car. Although there were no grounds for the shooting, the police officer has yet to face any punishment whatsoever. Since 2000, over 24 cases of police shooting have occurred where there have been instances of police brutality or misuse of power, yet no real investigation has occurred.

FAMU Dream Defenders Vice president, Everton Foster, spoke out against the misuse of police power and accountability, stating, “At the root of police brutality problem is power. The American government has given the police excessive weaponry, excessive power and has made them responsible for very little.”

Other protesters brought light to issues regarding the downright racist misconduct used by police. Florida State University Dream Defenders organizer, Avinash Ramanathan, stated, “ We must stand against oppression wherever it takes place. We are now seeing the violent use of American power both abroad and at home. We must stand with the Palestinian people who are facing the oppression of Israeli bombings done with the help of the U.S.”

The continued uprising in Ferguson and the nationwide actions in solidarity are finally putting the system of the New Jim Crow under trial by the people. Missouri police have resorted to tear gas and jailing protesters. To add another insult to injury, Missouri’s Governor Nixon has gone as far as to call in the National Guard. As a result of this blatant disregard for Black and Brown life, the widespread discontent has now growing.

#PeoplesStruggles #FloridaStateUniversity #DreamDefenders #Antiracism #Tallahassee #FAMU #FSU #MichaelBrown #MikeBrown

Tallahassee, FL – Around 50 people from Florida Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), along with community members and other allied organizations gathered on the steps of the Florida State Capitol, March 20, to demand “Education for All.” They called on the Florida legislature to vote on and pass HB851 and SB1400, bills would charge undocumented college students in-state tuition as opposed to out-of-state tuition.

Tuition equity, as it has come to be known, would grant the same tuition rate to any student in the state of Florida, regardless of his or her documented status. SDS has been fighting for the last year to bring local tuition equity policies to college campuses in Florida. Most recently, they have been advocating for bills in the state legislature that would be a step towards a fair and affordable education for every single student in the state.

The rally included a round of speeches from organizers of the Florida State University, University of South Florida and University of Florida SDS chapters. Other speakers included leaders of immigrant rights advocacy organizations, undocumented students, community members, statements from Florida university administrations, and Florida state senators and representatives.

After the speeches, protesters marched from the steps of the old Capitol building to the inside of the new Capitol building where they gathered between both chambers of the legislature. There students aligned themselves in rows and gave energetic speeches, told personal stories and chanted, as many state representatives, officials, media members and other bystanders watched.

“The reason this issue has come this far is because of the work SDS and our allies have put into struggling for tuition equity for undocumented students,” said Chrisley Carpio, an organizer with University of Florida SDS, in an impassioned speech. “We believe that every student in this country has the right to a higher education, and we won’t stop fighting until we make that a reality.”

HB851 and SB1400 have both received bipartisan support. Most recently, Governor Rick Scott has come out in favor of the bill giving qualified undocumented Florida students the ability to pay in-state tuition. His statement is the latest in a long list of supporters, including Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, various Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate, and university administrators like University of Florida President Bernie Machen.

Despite the bipartisan support, the bills are becoming targets for political posturing, as legislators aim to make additions to the bills that would significantly water them down. Most glaringly, changes in the House bill require students to spend four consecutive years in high school to qualify for the in-state rate.

“This is just one step towards getting tuition equity for undocumented students, but it’s not enough,” said Veronica Juarez, an organizer with Tampa SDS and Raíces En Tampa. “Ultimately we will fight to have all the amendments removed because it’s not real tuition equity if there are still restrictions on the ability undocumented students have to get a higher education.”

Later in the evening after the event, HB851 passed on the House floor in a vote of 81-33. It is a huge victory, but the campaign still has a long way to go for true education equality. SDS is committed to making education accessible for every student in the U.S. and continues to work towards that goal until there is education for all.

#TallahasseeFL #Tallahassee #ImmigrantRights #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #TuitionEquity

Chicago, IL – Despite being the target of a major political attack by the U.S. government, Rasmea Odeh continues to work for the Palestinian people. This is why the 22nd Annual People’s Thanksgiving Dinner, held in Chicago Dec. 8, honored her with the “Nelson Mandela Award: Opposing Israeli Apartheid is not a Crime.”

70 people gathered to recognize her and a number of other important activists. They met at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, despite an early blizzard that made getting to the church hazardous.

In presenting the award, Muhammad Sunkari of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network referred to the late leader of the national liberation movement in South Africa. “When Ted Koppel interviewed him after his release from prison, Mandela defended the ANC’s [African National Congress] ties to the Palestine Liberation Organization. He called the Palestinians, ‘comrades in arms.’ I would say that a great example of a comrade of Mandela is Rasmea Odeh.” In accepting the award, Odeh was in good spirits. She thanked everyone, saying, “I need your support, and we all need each other’s support to stand strong and continue.”

The event is held annually by Fight Back! news and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). The dinner raised over $3000 for Odeh’s defense campaign, as well as $1000 to help continue the work of Fight Back! news.

Another emotional moment in the dinner was an award presented to Pete Camarata. Camarata was a co-founder of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). His award, entitled the “Big Bill Haywood: Class Struggle Award” was presented to him by Richard Berg. Berg, a long time reformer in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), has known Camarata for 25 years.

The framed award, reading, “For his lifelong dedication to the liberation of the working class,” was accepted by Camarata’s stepson, Jackson Potter. Potter is the staff coordinator of the Chicago Teachers Union. He explained that Camarata couldn’t attend the dinner because he is fighting cancer. A statement from Camarata read in part, “I thank FRSO for the award, and I accept it with the knowledge that my activism belongs to the movement and the brave people who built TDU, the movement in this country and around the world.” Awards were also presented to Sarah Simmons and Newland Smith, both activists in the Anti-War Committee-Chicago and to Michael Sampson, a Dream Defender from Tallahassee, Florida.

Joe Iosbaker of FRSO spoke to the crowd. He noted that last year’s event celebrated the successful defense of Carlos Montes. “Next year, we plan to be back here to celebrate with Rasmea for a victory over this new attack!” Iosbaker put the defense of Odeh in a broader context, including the ongoing investigation of 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists by the U.S. attorney. “Our advances can be quickly taken from us by the likes of Mayor Emmanuel or President Obama or Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas.”

Citing the many crimes of the U.S. empire at home and abroad Iosbaker continued, “We in FRSO have come to the conclusion that the existing order of things is unacceptable. For that reason we have decided to build a revolutionary organization.” Summing up, Iosbaker said, “Whenever we celebrate the advances made in the struggles we are part of, FRSO always names the way of life that is better than capitalism – that way of life is called socialism. We know a big change will take a lot of work, but we do think it will happen.”

#ChicagoIL #InJusticeSystem #Palestine #PeoplesThanksgiving #thanksgiving #PoliticalRepression #JoeIsobaker #Tallahassee #RasmeaOdeh #MichaelSampson