Category Archives: North America

Labor Movement Organizing Powers Pro-Worker Majorities in Congress

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

A press release from the AFL-CIO (US Trade Union Movement)

Union voters mobilized in historic numbers to secure sweeping landmark victories up and down the ballot across the country, including a record number of union member candidates elected to office. The organizing was driven by the AFL-CIO’s largest-ever midterm mobilization, with a singular focus on the pocketbook issues voters said were their top priority.

At the 30th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention in June, the nation’s largest labor federation set a goal of turning out at least 2 million more union voters in this election than in 2022. To reach that, AFL-CIO turned out tens of thousands of volunteers, who reached more than 16 million union voters. The program made a concerted effort by reaching out to several million disengaged voters, many of whom lived in a union member’s  household but had never previously been contacted by a union volunteer.

As a direct result of this work, union voters turned out in historic numbers. Exit polls showed union households voted 21 points more for Democrats than Republicans nationwide, shaping results that were decisive for control of Congress.

“This blue wave was union-made. The billionaires had the money in this election, but working people had the power,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “The people who make this country run issued a clear mandate last night. Speaking with a unified voice, workers demanded that their elected leaders fight to raise their wages and lower costs, expand access to health care and unions, hold billionaire CEOs accountable, and check the Trump administration’s attacks on their freedoms. The labor movement is ready to work with these newly elected members of Congress, governors and state legislators on a bold agenda to deliver real change for the working class.”  

The AFL-CIO’s program operated in 35 states and powered watershed election results:

° 639 union members and counting have been elected—which means a record high number of union members will be seated in elected office next year. Troy Jackson in Maine, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico in Texas, Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania, Brian Poindexter in Ohio, Sam Forstag in Montana and many other prominent candidates are card-carrying union members.


° The labor movement’s deep, year-round, nationwide infrastructure was behind further historic gubernatorial and congressional victories: Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Josh Turek and Rob Sand in Iowa, Adam Hamilton in Kansas, Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton in Ohio, Annie Andrews in South Carolina, as well as House districts.

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Question related to this article:
 
What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?

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° Working people overcame decades of brutal attacks on their rights to overhaul state governments across the country. They won trifectas in Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and took back the statehouses in North Carolina and Georgia. Union voters broke seven legislative supermajorities in Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and South Carolina.

Union voter turnout was built through years of organizing and outreach, including:

° A seven-figure paid digital and streaming media campaign that hyper-targeted union members and households in 39 key House and Senate races. The ads featured real union members’ voices that generated more than 221 million unique impressions across all races, with a 65% to 72% completion rate, showing strong engagement with the content.

 
° The AFL-CIO wasted no time in organizing and talking to working people about the pain they were feeling under President Trump’s economy—including in battleground states—kicking off at the beginning of 2025. Through our Department of People Who Work for a Living field hearings, a 26-state bus tour and door-to-door blitzes in key districts in spring 2026, union members built and deepened relationships through consistent, ongoing engagement with voters across the country. 

 
° Since Labor Day, union volunteers have reached 14.9 million voters at the door, on the phone and in the worksite to solidify support for a pro-worker Congress. Every conversation had unique value, given the high degree of trust union families have with union members, who research shows are among the most credible messengers in the country. Union voters also were among the most enthusiastic in the nation to go to the polls. 83% of union members reported being “very motivated” to vote, a 10-point increase from 2022.

 
° Union P.O.W.E.R., a 50-state election protection program, trained more than 30,000 union volunteers, deployed 54 election protection coordinators across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, along with dozens of highly trained union lawyers to 24 states under particular threat from the Trump administration. These lawyers and volunteers were on the ground in the weeks leading up to and on Election Day, and they will continue to work in the field to ensure every ballot is counted.

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DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

Petition: We Demand the Return of UNAC’s YouTube Channel!!

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

A petition from the United National Antiwar Coalition

We, the undersigned, protest YouTube’s undemocratic action of taking down the channel and content of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC).  The webinars and interviews that UNAC posted are part of the rich history of the peace movement since UNAC was founded in 2010. 

UNAC is a national antiwar coalition that is recognized for its work by organizations and activists across the United States and throughout the world. This is not only a breach of the United National Antiwar Coalition’s democratic rights but those of all who want to view our content and all who subscribe to the channel.

Sign here

We, the undersigned, protest YouTube’s undemocratic action of taking down the channel and content of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC).  The webinars and interviews that UNAC posted are part of the rich history of the peace movement since UNAC was founded in 2010.  UNAC is a national antiwar coalition that is recognized for its work by organizations and activists across the United States and throughout the world. This is not only a breach of the United National Antiwar Coalition’s democratic rights but those of all who want to view our content and all who subscribe to the channel.

YouTube claims  that our channel was taken down because it supports  “violent and criminal organizations”, but you did not tell us what content on our site does this. Instead, you took down the entire site.  We do not support violent criminal organizations.   Rather we believe you have taken down our channel because we oppose the U.S. and Israeli wars of aggression and in particular Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.  It should be noted that YouTube has not taken down Israel’s channels that show extreme violence against Palestinians and other west Asian peoples.

We demand the United National Antiwar Coalition’s YouTube content be returned along with the emails of all subscribers.  The UNAC channel reflects years of work and a perspective that we believe is shared by most people in the country, especially our perspective on the Israeli genocide.

We call for freedom of speech and democratic rights!

Return UNAC’s YouTube content!

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Question related to this article:

Is Internet freedom a basic human right?

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Initial Endorsers:

Americas Without Sanctions,
Amnesty International,
Anti War Action Network, 
Ban Killer Drones,
Black Alliance for Peace,
Black Agenda Report,
Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network,
Chicago Anti-War Coalition,
CodePink,
Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism,
Finnish Peace Committee, 
Freedom Road Socialist Organization,
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space,
Greek IPPNW (International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War),
GWUAN (Global Women United Against NATO),
Hands off UHURU Hands Off Africa Fightback Coalition,
International Action Center (IAC),
International League of Peoples Struggles,
International Peace Bureau,
Popular Resistance,
Resist U.S, Led War,
Scottish CND,
Show Up America,
Socialist Action,
Sovereignty Support Movement,
Struggle La Lucha,
U.S. Peace Council,
Virginia Defenders for Freedom Justice and Equality,
VOW (Voice of Women for Peace Canada),
Women WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom),
Women Against Military Madness,
Women for Peace Finland,
Women in Black, 
Workers World Party, 

Some more recent organizational additions:

Culture of Peace News Network
Jewish Voice for Peace
Veterans for Peace
Poor People’s Campaign
CISPES
Mass Peace Action
Jobs with Justice
Americans for Democratic Action
Regina Peace Council
Democratic Socialists of America

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HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

No Kings rallies held in all 50 US states

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

A press survey by CPNN

More than 3,000 No Kings rallies held in all 50 US states on Saturday sought to rally voters to the polls ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Here are photos from the 50 states. Click here for an article about the mobilization.


Alabama

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Protestors holding signs at the fourth “No Kings” protest in Montgomery, Alabama, on Oct. 17, 2026

Alaska


Demonstrators rally at a No Kings protest in Juneau on Oct. 17, 2026

Arizona


U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego speaks on stage while other speakers join him in holding up ballots at the downtown Phoenix No Kings protest at Grant Park on Oct. 17, 2026.

Arkansas


The Raging Grannies of Northwest Arkansas sang during a voter education event in Springdale, Arkansas on Oct. 17,2026

California


Protesters march up 1st Street as the “No Kings – Vote Early” march makes its way through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

Colorado


A view of the No Kings protest at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Saturday.

Connecticut


Members of the Umbrella Brigade and Justice Singers warm up before a “No Kings: Vote Early” rally at New Haven Green on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

Delaware


No Kings Rally in Wilmington! Make your plan tonight!

District of Columbia


Demonstrators take part in a “No Kings: Vote Early” rally near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C

Florida


About a thousand protesters gathered at Daniels Parkway and U.S. 41 in Fort Myers on Oct. 17 for a No Kings: Vote Early protest.

Georgia


People take part in a “No Kings” protest as part of a nationwide day of action aimed at encouraging early voting ahead of the midterm elections in Atlanta, on Oct. 17, 2026.

Hawaii


Thousands gathered in Downtown Honolulu on Oct. 17 for a nationwide day of action to raise awareness for the midterm elections.

Idaho


A sizable crowd gathered at the Idaho State Capitol in downtown Boise on Saturday for a “No Kings” protest aimed at urging people to vote.

Illinois


“No Kings” rallies held in Chicago, across nation ahead of midterm elections

Indiana


No Kings rally outside Indiana governor’s residence urges voters to turn out in November

Iowa


The Singing Resistance Des Moines leads songs at the No Kings rally Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 in Des Moines..

Kansas


No Kings rally at Topeka Capitol urges all to vote

Kentucky


People stand near and in an intersection in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, as part of the No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

Loisiana


Buddy Spell of Covington waves a large flag as part of a No Kings rally held Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

Maine


Roughly 400 people rallied in Bath on October 17 as part of the national No Kings day of action.

Maryland


Dark skies and a chilly day didn’t deter residents of Beltsville, Maryland, who came out on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, for the community’s third No Kings event.

Massachusetts


17 October 2026, US, Harvard: No Kings action on the Common by residents and neighbors urging people to make sure to vote during the upcoming Mid-Term elections.

Michigan


Attendees gathered on the West Lawn of the Michigan State Capitol for the No Kings rally in Lansing on Oct. 17, 2026.

Minnesota


Thousands gathered in The Commons park in downtown Minneapolis as part of the No Kings early vote rally on Saturday, Oct. 17

Mississippi

< Attendees of a No Kings rally listen to event speakers on the lawn of the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi, on Oct. 17, 2026.

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Questions related to this article:

The struggle for human rights, is it gathering force in the USA?

How can we be sure to get news about peace demonstrations?

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Missouri


Protestors wave signs as thunder begins to rumble near the end of the No Kings demonstration at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City on Saturday

Montana


Bozeman, Montana

Nebraska


Lincoln community shows up for “NoKings” rally

Nevada


Participants gather in Wingfield Park during a ‘No Kings’ rally on Saturday, October. 17, 2026 in downtown Reno, Nevada.

New Hampshire


No Kings protesters gather outside Exeter Town Hall Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

New Jersey


Crowds gathered on Saturday, Oct. 17, for a “No Kings” event in Hackettstown at the intersection of Main Street (Route 46) and Willow Grove Street.

New Mexico


Crowds gathered outside the Roundhouse in Santa Fe on October 17 as part ofthe “No Kings” rally urging people to vote early ahead of the midterm elections.

New York


Protesters gather for a NOKINGS rally in New York on October 17

North Carolina


Wilmington was part of the fourth round of nationwide No Kings rallies on Oct. 17, 2026.

North Dakota


No Kings rallies in North Dakota emphasize early voting

Ohio


Demonstrators gather for No Kings protest in Columbus.

Oklahoma


‘No Kings’ voting drive at Southern Hills Christian Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.  

Oregon


‘No Kings’ protesters march through downtown Portland, urging voter turnout for midterms

Pennsylvania


Demonstrators gathered outside Philadelphia City Hall on Saturday as part of a nationwide “No Kings: Vote Early” day of action

Rhode Island


About 75 “No Kings” demonstrators take part in a rally along Victory Highway in North Smithfield on Oct. 17, 2026, to promote early voting in the midterm elections.

South Carolina


Organizers took “No Kings: Vote Early” across the Upstate Saturday, Oct. 17, for a full day of voter education, visibility and community action, ending with a final gathering at Falls Park in Greenville, SC.

South Dakota


The No Kings demonstration in Sioux Falls on Oct. 17, 2026, was at Drake Springs Park near downtown

Tennessee


People gather for a No Kings rally at Red Caboose Park, Bellevue, Tennessee, Saturday, October, 17, 2026.

Texas


Hundreds join “No Kings” protests in North Texas ahead of voting

Utah


Darlene McDonald leads protesters as they march to downtown Salt Lake City from the Utah Capitol during a “No Kings” demonstration on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

Vermont


Manchester, Vermont – NO KINGS!

Virginia



People at the No Kings event in Richmond’s Monroe Park on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, hear from speakers urging them to vote yes on all three of the constitutional amendments on Virginia ballots this midterm

Washington


Thousands march to Seattle Center for ‘No Kings’ rally and voting fair

West Virginia


A No Kings rally participant holds a sign that says “Fund Healthcare not ICE” at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026

Wisconsin


No Kings rally draws crowds in Green Bay, encourages people to vote early

Wyoming

No Kings rally brings out dozens to push for early voting.

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HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

USA: ‘Power Lies at the Hands of the People’: Thousands of No Kings Events Rally Voters for 2026 Midterms

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article by Brad Reed in Common Dreams

More than 3,000 No Kings rallies held in all 50 US states on Saturday sought to rally voters to the polls ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

(Click here for photos from the 50 states)

While past No Kings demonstrations have focused on protesting the policies of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, Saturday’s demonstrations were geared toward helping Americans ensure that their vote is counted in next month’s elections.

On the No Kings website, organizers described the events as “a day of nonpartisan voter participation, being in community with each other, and making sure every eligible voter has a plan, knows their options, and is ready to make their voice count.”


Greenberg speech

Speaking at a No Kings event in Atlanta, Georgia, Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg emphasized how important early voting will be to stopping any attempted meddling by the Trump administration in the elections.

“In America, power lies at the hands of the people, and we express our power at the ballot box,” said Greenberg. “Nobody knows better than the folks here that that right was never given by the powerful, it was demanded by generations of dedicated, brilliant, fearless organizers who put their lives and their freedom on the line to demand that this nation live up to its promises.”

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Questions related to this article:

The struggle for human rights, is it gathering force in the USA?

How can we be sure to get news about peace demonstrations?

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Greenberg outlined how Trump has tried to attack the voting process throughout his second term, including his unprecedented mid-decade redistricting campaign and his attempts to restrict the right to vote by mail.

“They want chaos, fear, and confusion at the polls,” said Greenberg. “Voting early is the first step in how we protect those rights. A vote cast today can’t be lost to a long line or a closed polling place.”

In a Thursday interview with journalist Steven Beschloss, Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin said he hoped the No Kings rallies would drive “the biggest turnout in midterms in American history,” which he said was important “because we have an authoritarian” in Trump “who will take advantage of any uncertainty.”

Minnesota Democratic US Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan, whose state came under siege last winter from federal immigration agents, expressed support for the No Kings rallies in a Saturday social media post.

“This year, Minnesotans showed the world that we don’t do kings,” Flanagan wrote. “Today, we’re doing it again. No matter where you are, make your voice heard.”

The demonstrations also earned a thumbs up from Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.).

“No kings. No authoritarians. No warmongers. No despots,” Ramirez wrote. “All across the country, Americans are taking to the streets and organizing to defend our neighbors and our democracy! Remember that you have rights.”

Attendance estimates for Saturday’s No Kings protests were not available as of this writing, though past rallies have drawn as many as 8 million people nationwide.

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HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

United States and Canada: International Day of Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

A survey by CPNN

Here are 108 actions for the International Day of Peace located in 46 of the 50 United States, as well as 19 events in Canada in 9 of the 10 provinces. In order to save space, only one event is given in detail for each province or state, while internet links are provided for the others.

The events were listed in Google during the weeks of September 17-28 this year under the key words “International Day of Peace,” “peaceday” or “Journée Internationale de la Paix” or were listed on the website of Campaign Nonviolence.


Winnipeg, Manitoba

Here are excerpts from the articles.

* * * CANADA * * *

ALBERTA

ST. ALBERT : This year’s celebration of the International Day of Peace especially meaningful as we also recognize St. Albert as an International City of Peace. Enjoy music, community connection, inspiring remarks, hot dogs, refreshments, and dessert at Rotary Park on Sunday at 12:00–1:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.  Bring your family, friends, and neighbours.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

WESTVIEW : At the qathet for Peace weekly Palestine solidarity rally by the Wild Scoop ice cream shop (at the “Clock Square”) Annabelle Tully-Barr is joining us for a couple peace songs. Sat. Sept. 19. Rally starts at noon, singing shortly before 1 pm and then, weather permitting, a picnic!

NELSON

MANITOBA

WINNIPEG : Walk for Peace and Justice 2026 is a mobile, multimedia event organized by Peace Alliance Winnipeg with the participation of many community groups. The event is designed to highlight the growing dangers of world war. Walk for Peace and Justice will bring our message to guests attending Nuit Blanche through music, art and poetry. Gather at westside of City Hall at 7pm.

WINNIPEG ARTISTS FOR PEACE

NEW BRUNSWICK

ST. JOHN : At the New Brunswick Public Libraries in a lead up to the International Day of Peace on September 21, we’re inviting everyone of all ages to leave a message of hope on our Wall of Hope to help spread kindness and to strive for peace and harmony.

NEWFOUNDLAND

ST. JOHN’S : Video: A “peace pole” has been unveiled at Bannerman Park, linking St. John’s to an international movement for peace and inclusion.

NOVA SCOTIA

PEACE WALK : Video of VishwaMitra Yogesh Nova Scotia Peace Walk Sept 2024

ONTARIO

HAMILTON : Mark International Day of Peace TODAY! Monday September 21st 6:30-7:30 PM with a Vigil at Hamilton City Hall Peace Garden, Corner of Bay and Hunter Streets. ALL WELCOME! Bring a blanket, a candle, and a snack. Hear the UN Statement for the 2026 International Day of Peace

AURORA
BANCROFT
OTTAWA
PLYMPTON-WYOMING
SUDBURY
TIMMINS
WHITBY

QUEBEC

SAINTE-EUSTACHE : On the International Day of Peace, at the invitation of the organization Toulesarts, Hélène Courteau hosts sociologist and author André Jacob for a presentation on his activism for peace. A themed open mic session will follow: the Société littéraire de Laval invites poets who have published poems about peace in its literary arts journal, *Entrevous*, to give a 3-minute reading of their work.

MONTREAL

SASKATCHEWAN

SASKATOON : On Monday, September 22, 2026, Grade 8 students from St. Anne School marked the International Day for Peace (celebrated Sept. 21) with their annual Nobel Peace Laureate Brick Celebration at Rotary Park Peace Plaza. Partners from the Saskatoon Nutana Rotary Club and Meewasin Valley Authority joined representatives from the school division to hear what Ms. Johanssen’s Grade 8 class learned about this year’s brick dedication recipient, Jimmy Carter. Students Elliot Krushel, Daniil Pysmennyi and Mya Pilon presented a tribute highlighting Carter’s legacy of working to resolve international conflicts, strengthen democratic institutions and support human rights around the world.

* * * UNITED STATES * * *

ALABAMA

OPELIKA : Pastor Carolyn Morton and the Samford Community Outreach Peace Group will teach and host a youth Nonviolent Solution Group Discussion on September 21,2026, at 4pm central. Location: Christian Care Ministries, Opelika, AL

ALASKA

FAIRBANKS : Come help plan the International Day of Peace, tech, workshops, winter potluck presentations/movies, and more!ccWednesday, September 2, 2026, 7 pm Alaska Peace Center.

SEWARD

ARIZONA

Tucson

TUCSON : Bright and early on the morning of September 22, ten peace activists held brightly-lettered signs in front of the main entrance of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. As military personnel drove into the base and rush hour traffic passed by, the bold, large signs communicated peace messages.

PRESCOTT
QUEEN CREEK

ARKANSAS

LITTLE ROCK : From Sept 20-27, Arkansas Peace Week coordinates 23 actions and events in Little Rock and around the state, including Peace Week at School, peace art contests, a pilgrimage for peace, vigils, peace mural painting, Braver Angels conversations, mutual aid, and much more.

CALIFORNIA

MANHATTAN BEACH : Dressed in white, community members filled the space of Manhattan Beach’s Civic Center Plaza for one purpose: peace. To feel peace, create peace, and spread peace. I looked around and saw kids like me, students, and peers, gathered alongside parents, teachers, and community leaders. Simon Uslaner’s speech especially stood out to me. “One word is only a drop. Peace is a river,” he said. But his next words stayed with me even more: “Be the drop that isn’t scared to change the river’s course.” As the event came to an end, we were left with one final performance. Jack Bos, a senior at Mira Costa High School, sang “Rise Up” by Andra Day, bringing a different expression of peace to the ceremony through music. His voice carried across Civic Center Plaza as doves were released and flew above the crowd. I looked up watching the birds cross the sky while music continued below them. For a moment everything I heard — about community, creating positive change, and what it means to create peace— seemed to all come together. 

ARCADIA
BAKERSFIELD
COTTAGE GROVE
HAYWARD
MANTECA
MORRO BAY
OAKLAND
PALO ALTO
PETALUMA, METTA CENTER
THOUSAND OAKS

COLORADO

BOULDER : TO mark the International Day of Peace, Boulder Rotary Club is sponsoring a walk for peace in the International Peace Garden along the downtown portion of Boulder Creek. Downtown  church bells, including ours here at First Church, will ring between 7:15  and 8 pm to add a prayerful background as the walkers silently contemplate our theme for this year, “Peace Is Possible.” The walk is open to all – the walkers will meet at 7 pm at the Canyon Blvd. side of the library to begin the walk. The Candlelight Walk for Peace is one of a series of activities being sponsored by Boulder Rotary Club under the umbrella “Peace Weeks.”

ASPEN PARK
CENTENNIAL

CONNECTICUT

NEW HAVEN : The City of New Haven Peace Commission invites you to save the date for this year’s Peace Tree planting in observance of the International Day of Peace. This year, the Commission will be planting the tree at Alderwoman Honda Smith’s community center, The Shack. The community center is located at 333 Valley St., New Haven, CT 06515. The date is Sept. 19 and the time is TBA. Come join us and others as we gather to observe the International Day of Peace and to thank Alder Honda Smith for all that she has done for her community and youth, and for being a supporter of the Peace Commission.

NEW BRITAIN

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

WASHINGTON : During Peace Week, the Peace Alliance will schedule Zoom meetings with multiple Congressional offices to educate about and advocate for a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding.

WASHINGTON DC PEACE TEAMS
WASHINGTON CHURCH OF CHRIST

DELAWARE

SEAFORD : Nonviolent Seaford will be joining Sing for Unity and people across the world to create a sound wave of hope, unity, peace, and global community that travels across time zones: 20 September, 2:00 p.m., Seaford Community Gardens, 214 High Street, Seaford, DE 19973? Also We will be having special Peace Art editions of Tuesday Morning Art at the North Star Navigation Center on Tuesday, September 22 & 29, 2026. Join us on September 22 as we write group poetry about violence and nonviolence and begin to create our Visionary Peace Art projects, which will be completed September 29.

FLORIDA

MIAMI BEACH : Art, youth voices and a community peace march come together at Miami Beach Botanical Garden in observance of the International Day of Peace. The gathering takes place Friday, September 18, bringing students and community members together around themes of peace, dialogue and collective responsibility. Programming includes a peace assembly, youth discussion and an exhibition of student artwork, followed by a peace march open to participants of all ages. The event centers on the theme “Invest in Peace — For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”

CORAL SPRINGS
MIAMI, MONTESSORI
MIAMI, PATCH
MIAMI BEACH SCHOOL

GEORGIA

SAVANNAH : Peace in the Park 2026, Sunday, September 27, 
Daffin Park. Join hundreds of community members for an incredible day of connection, celebration, and action. The event kicks off with inspiring live entertainment and the presentation of the Peacebuilder Awards, honoring those making a difference in our community. You can look forward to a meaningful Peace Walk, participating in a massive Human Peace Sign, and engaging in Courageous Conversations that bring us closer together. It is an event for all ages, featuring a dedicated Resource Fair, vibrant food trucks, youth art initiatives, and a wide variety of fun family activities.

NEWTON

HAWAII

HANAPEPE : Jerry Hirata of the Kauai Soto Zen Temple said Peace Day 2026 is going to be very different. Sponsored by the Storybook Theatre, the Interfaith Round Table of Kauai (IROK) and the Kauai Soto Zen Temple, the Peace Day observance on Kauai will start from 4 p.m. and end at twilight. Professional festival artist Cary Valentine will host the stage events, which feature something for everyone. Thespian Mark Jeffers will be teaching Peace Games in the Storybook classroom, and a video of “Warrior Poet,” written and performed by Alton Takiyama-Chung, will be playing. Paper cranes will be made, and burned in the name of peace. A gold foil crane will become part of the 1,001 cranes with Kauai prayers that will be made into a dove of peace and given to the Kauai Council Chamber.

IDAHO

BOISE : Today is the International Day of Peace! It reminds us that even small acts of kindness, understanding, and respect can help create a more peaceful world. At our Montessori Academy, we nurture these lessons every day

ILLINOIS

NORTH CHICAGO : Mayor Leon Rockingham, Jr. recently issued a Mayoral Proclamation recognizing the International Day of Peace, observed annually on September 21. The City of North Chicago will commemorate the International Day of Peace with a “Bring Peace to Our Streets–Walk for Peace” throughout the city. Mayor Rockingham encourages all residents, businesses, schools, community organizations, healthcare providers, faith-based organizations, neighborhood groups, and public agencies to participate in activities that promote peace, support a 24-hour period of non-violence and ceasefire, strengthen community partnerships, and reaffirm our collective commitment to building safer, healthier, and more united communities.

CHICAGO

INDIANA

EVANSVILLE : On International Peace Day. Veterans For Peace in Evansville invites you to join us and people of good will the world over as we uphold and celebrate the desire for peace, the deepest desire of humanity. Peace Concert and Art Exhibit on the evening of Sep. 21 at The Barn

IOWA

DAVENPORT : On September 24, join Riverside Interfaith at the Putnam Museum for a free film screening and discussion of the Emmy-nominated documentary “The Sultan & the Saint” which explores how, during the Crusades, Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil and St. Francis of Assisi crossed enemy lines to meet as people of faith. Their extraordinary encounter shows how respectful dialogue can overcome fear, build trust, and inspire peace across religious differences. After the screening, a panel discussion and discussion will be held with Sr. Jan Cebula of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, IA; and Dr. Bachir Djehiche, Imam and Religious Director at ICQC, Moline, IL.

CLINTON

KENTUCKY

LOUISVILLE : 12th Annual Celebration of Twelve Days Toward Peace hosted by Drepung Gomang Center for Engaging Compassion and Nonviolent Louisville. Actions between Sept 21-Oct 2, include Chalk It Up for Peace with local students, a 12-hr Vigil For Nonviolence, a peace pole planting, daily meditations and reflections, a film screening, a book discussion, rally against gun violence, international youth exchange on nonviolence between Caicedo, Colombia, and local students, and much more.

MAPLE MOUNT

LOUISIANA

BATON ROUGE : People from different faiths gathered Sunday at 14 churches and houses of worship across the Baton Rouge area for a pray-for-peace vigil focused on unity in a community organizers say is increasingly divided.

MAINE

NORWAY : Nonviolent Action Days. September 26. Restorative Community Training. 9AM – 12PM. Here you will learn skills to help group decision-making be more effective. This workshop will be hosted by Katey Branch, Elizabeth Hartford, Angela Todd. –Connecting Without Agreeing: Nonviolent Community Training. 1PM – 4PM. This workshop will emphasis the importance of cultivating curiosity about the needs beneath differing viewpoints. It will be Facilitated by Leah.

BELFAST
GRAND ISLE

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Question for this article

What has happened this year (2026) for the International Day of Peace?


National Harbor, Maryland

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MARYLAND

NATIONAL HARBOR : On September 16th, peace activists held a nonviolent witness in demonstration against the Air Force Association (AFA) Arms Bazaar in National Harbor, Maryland. This witness, organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and co-sponsored by Pax Christi Metro DC- Baltimore and Pax Christi USA, was held in solidarity with all who are participating in the upcoming Campaign Nonviolence and the Catholic Days of Action (Sept. 21st–Oct. 2nd). They also acted in solidarity with an interfaith coalition, including Priests Against Genocide and Doctors Against Genocide, who are unveiling today (Sept 16) a 330-foot memorial “Gaza Children’s Shroud” with the names of 20,000 children killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, 2023, at the Church Center for the United Nations across from U.N. (See the photo above)

FREDERICK
LEXINGTON PARK

MASSACHUSETTS

BOSTON : More than 1,800 people from across Greater Boston and New England are expected to gather on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the Boston Marriott Copley Place for An Evening with Gurudev: On Power, Presence & Peace. The evening will feature internationally known humanitarian and spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in a live program of wisdom, guided meditation, music, and audience Q&A. The event is open to adults of all backgrounds, and no prior meditation experience is needed. The City of Boston is also marking the occasion with a proclamation from Mayor Michelle Wu declaring September 25 “Power, Presence & Peace Day” in recognition of the humanitarian work of Gurudev and the Art of Living Foundation. Event details: Friday, September 25, 2026, 7–9 PM at Boston Marriott Copley Place, 110 Huntington Avenue, Boston.

EVERETT
NEWTON
SPRINGFIELD

MICHIGAN

ANN ARBOR : Ann Arbor International Day of Peace 2026: Live Stream w/ Alan Haber | Music & Community Rally. Organized by the Community Commons Initiating Committee, this event brings together local artists, activists, historians, and musicians under the theme “INVEST IN PEACE is a GLOBAL THEME — DIVEST FROM WAR is a LOCAL ACTION”. Many Featured Guests & Performers. Event Highlights: MUSIC for PEACE, WORDS for PEACE, ART for PEACE. Open community participation: Bring your own words, art, music, or tell a poem!

DETROIT

MINNESOTA

MINNEAPOLIS AND ST PAUL : September 20 through October 3, 2026 Please join Twin Cities Nonviolent, our partners, and the global community as we celebrate Twelve Days Free from Violence. We hope you find many experiences listed below to take part in during the Twelve Days Free from Violence.
September 20: Hands Across Mississippi River; Twin Cities Veg Fest; protest 200 Days of War on Iran; Theatre de Facto presents: It Can’t Happen Here
September 21: Special screening of The Last Wintercount; Brass Solidarity plays at George Floyd Square
September 22: Peace Concert; Recovering from the Policy-Based Disaster of Federal Immigration Policy, a virtual briefing; film , SHIFT: Do What Moves You
September 23: Vigil to End War; Peace Talks Webinar Series: Sisters Transforming Education Worldwide;Climate Superfund Orientation: Who should pay for MN’s rising climate costs? a discussion
September 24-October 2: See link for details.

ROSEVILLE

MISSOURI

KANSAS CITY : Join the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council for an afternoon of music, storytelling, poetry, prayer, conversation, art, and community at the International Day of Peace Festival.

KANSAS CITY MONTESSOPRI SCHOOL

MONTANA

BOZEMAN : Today at Bozeman Montessori, we paused to celebrate the International day of Peace. Together as a community, our children gathered, lit a candles, and raised their voices to sing, “Light a Candle for Peace.”

NEBRASKA

LINCOLN : Nebraskans for Peace 2026 Annual Peace Conference on Sept. 26th at The Unitarian Church of Lincoln. The morning portion of the conference will feature authors and contributors from Roots of Justice: A History of Race and Racism in Nebraska, exploring important chapters of Nebraska’s history and the experiences of communities that have often been overlooked. The afternoon will feature three workshops connected to the three priority areas of Nebraskans for Peace: Anti-War “Civil Dialogue as a Tool for Peacebuilding”; Social Justice “Voting: A Right for All, Accessible to Some, Impactful for All;” and Environment “AI, Datacenters, and Energy Democracy”.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

CONCORD : On September 19, New Hampshire Peace Action set up microphones on the State House Lawn and held a teach-in on nonviolence with games, music, and speakers. What a great way to get the word out! Listen to student intern Hazel speak about how nonviolence actively works for change, challenging systems that cause harm while refusing to cause harm ourselves.

NEW JERSEY

TEANECK : Peace Islands Institute NJ warmly invites families, friends, neighbors, and community organizations from across New Jersey to the 7th Annual Peace Festival at Milton A. Votee Park in Teaneck. The Peace Festival is a welcoming, family-oriented cultural celebration that brings people together through music, dance, food, creativity, healthy activity, and meaningful community connection. It is a nonpartisan community program centered on friendship, mutual respect, and the belief that peace grows when people meet and celebrate together.

NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE : Lutheran Peace Fellowship film and Discussion for the International Day of Peace — “An Ordinary Insanity” is a 29-minute documentary directed by Oscar nominated filmmaker Judith Ehrlich that features former U.S. nuclear war planner and whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg delivering an urgent call to action on the dangers of nuclear weapons.

ALBUQUERQUE
SANTA FE

NEW YORK

NEW YORK CITY : Concert for the International Day of Peace, Times Square on the UN International Day of Peace. 12 noon Moment of Silence Meditation led virtually by Ringo Starr. Then Concert to 4pm with 27 LIVE PEACE PERFORMANCES AND MESSAGES,

BROOKLYN, HEARD NATION
BROOKLYN, SOAP BOX GALLERY
BUFFALO
KINGSTON
NEW YORK CITY, SERVAS
OLEAN

NEW YORK – UNITED NATIONS

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S MESSAGE : Excerpt from Secretary-General’s message on the International Day of Peace: Around the world, people are showing that we are not powerless. Volunteers, advocates, civil society leaders, peacekeepers and peacemakers are bridging divides, uniting communities and pushing for dialogue. Action by action, they are building peace from the ground up.  Like this year’s theme — “Investing in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day” — these champions of peace are showing us that achieving peace is not passive or automatic. It’s an active and deliberate choice to invest in a better future.  

NORTH CAROLINA

RALEIGH : International Day of Peace at William Peace University? The festivities will start at 3:30 p.m. on the Main Lawn, where students can see an African drumming group and hear a spoken-word piece by Dasan Ahanu, North Carolina’s Piedmont poet laureate and a teacher at Peace. Instructor Ana Teresa Galizes will also lead students in making paper cranes, a symbol of world peace.  The event will continue in Leggett with a talk given by Lisa Yebuah, a peace and justice advocate, on what Peace might look like in our communities. 

GREENSBORO
SOUTHPORT

NORTH DAKOTA

FARGO : Peace Academy Fargo. Today we celebrated the International Day of Peace! One of our Peace Academy traditions is to sing “Light a Candle for Peace” school-wide. From infants and toddlers to our pre-k students, we all gathered in the gym to sing for peace. Students also read books about peace, played peace games, and wrote and drew pictures about what peace means to me.

OHIO

CLEVELAND : Celebration of International Day of Peace with Taizé Prayer. Sunday, September 20, 2025, 6:30 pm, St. Joseph Center Chapel. In partnership with: Centering Space; Congregation of St. Joseph; Sisters of the Humility of Mary

OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA CITY : The Brahma Kumaris Oklahoma warmly invites you to a special program on peace and nonviolence held at the Oklahoma State Capitol Senate Chamber on:Saturday, October 3rd.

OREGON

NEWBERG :Oregon Peace Fest. Sunday, September 20, 2026 | 2:00 – 6:00 PM, Chehalem Cultural Center: Peace Pole Dedication & Walk begins at 2:00 pm; Live Music 3:00 – 6:00 pm; Carnival Games 2:00 – 5:30 pm. Oregon Peacefest brings the community together through music, food, and educational fun – connecting residents with local nonprofits and the valuable resources they offer.

BEAVERTON
PORTLAND
SALEM

PENNSYLVANIA

PHILADELPHIA : Peace Day Philly is the local initiative for the UN International Day of Peace, September 21  
7:00 – 8:15 PM, VIRTUAL . For over 15 years, Peace Day Philly has offered and encouraged activities and programs related to personal, local and global peace. Listen to inspiring speakers on topics of global peace, local peace organizing and ways to bring non-violence ideas and skills into everyday life. Mindfulness and compassion meditations, a special guest, and a change to share ways you will practice for peace in your world. Please invite your local and global peace networks! Featured speakers are Dot Maver, Jennifer Kim and Samuel Chawla-Rios.

MONROEVILLE
PHILADELPHIA
PITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGH

RHODE ISLAND

EAST GREENWICH : Happy International Day of Peace! Our Montessori School Primary children celebrated with a peace parade and pinwheels singing “Light a Candle for Peace”. We share a peace curriculum with children. Maria Montessori truly believed we could have world peace through her method. She was nominated for the Noble Peace Prize the three consecutive years before her death.

CHARLESTON

SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA : Carolina Peace’s annual festival-style event celebrating the International Day of Peace. Join us for 3 hours of Peace, Love & Music at Peace Day at the State House, Saturday Sept 19th. Enjoy live music plus poetry.

TENNESSEE

CHATTANOOGA : Join us for our annual Community Sing in celebration of International Day of Peace! Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 5:30pm‐6:30pm, Second Presbyterian Church.

CORDOVA

TEXAS

IRVING : Join the Interfaith Alliance of Irving for our annual International Day of Peace Celebration on Saturday, September 26, from 4:00–6:00 PM at DFW Family Church in Irving. This FREE, family-friendly community event brings together Irving’s diverse faith and cultural communities to celebrate peace, unity, friendship, and understanding. Enjoy children and youth performances representing different faith traditions, interactive faith and cultural booths, an Interfaith Passport activity for children, games, cultural foods, and fun activities for the whole family.

AUSTIN
EL PASO
HOUSTON

UTAH

SALT LAKE CITY : Celebrate International Peace Day & Parade of Flags! Join the United Nations Association of Utah for an evening celebrating peace, cultural connection, and our diverse global community. The program will feature: a Peace Proclamation; highlights from the Utah Indonesian Association: a Parade of Flags Drumming performance; networking and an opportunity to meet members of the United Nations Association of Utah

PARK CITY

VERMONT

BURLINGTON : Join the Vermont Council on World Affairs on Wednesday, September 23rd for the 2026 State of the World Summit, a full-day gathering designed to help Vermonters better understand the forces reshaping the global landscape and what they mean for our future. Held in alignment with the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, the Summit will bring together leaders and voices from across diplomacy, international affairs, media, business, sports, technology security, and civic life for a day of thoughtful conversations that explore how global trends connect to our local communities.

VIRGINIA

CHARLOTTESVILLE : Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice held a rally at the Downtown Mall on Monday, marking the International Day of Peace. The rally was moved under the Charlottesville pavillion due to rain. A focus was CCPJ’s petition urging the City Council of Charlottesville to pass a resolution opposing current wars. Devon Sproule led the rally in song. Speakers included Lena Seville, Virginia Rovnyak, Alexandra Kedrock, David Swanson, and Jeff Fogel. Following the rally, participants attended a City Council meeting. Among those who spoke to the City Council in support of a resolution were David Swanson, Lena Seville, and Joanie Freeman.

LYNCHBURG

WASHINGTON

TACOMA : The International Day of Peace is set for September 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Thea’s Park, marking the fifth year of the event and its largest expansion to date. For the first time ever, organizers are hosting a full-day program, featuring music, dance, storytelling, speakers, art, and community activities. The main ceremony will highlight local leadership as Thomas Heavey Sr. introduces the Greater Tacoma Peace Laureate Program. Next, 2025 Greater Tacoma Peace Prize Laureate Carol C. Mitchell will deliver the keynote address, “Compassion: Passing Peace Through Community,” followed by an original song and guitar performance, “When We Are We,” by Rachelle LaNae.After a solemn moment of silence led by the Reverend Matthew Brecht, the morning ceremony will close with a performance of Cat Stevens’s “Peace Train” by The Peacemakers, a group comprising Lambert, LaNae, Lloyd, Castro, Christina Brewer, and Jim Valley.Afternoon activities include local food vendors, interactive exhibits such as the Peace Bus and the Schoolie Foundation, tai chi and qigong sessions, a Children’s Arts & Crafts Peace Zone, and Circle of Trees Peace Circles led by Anjali Silva at 12:15 p.m., 1:15 p.m., and 2 p.m.

WEST VIRGINA

MORGANTOWN : The Native American Studies Program in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences will hold its annual Peace Tree Ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, next to the West Virginia University Peace Tree near Elizabeth Moore Hall. Cedric Woods, a citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, will deliver the annual Peace Tree lecture, “Making Relatives, Making Peace: A Path to Wellness,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Mountainlair, Gluck Theatre. The annual ceremony commemorates Indigenous Peoples Day and continues a WVU tradition that began with the planting of the University’s first Peace Tree by Chief Leon Shenandoah, Tadodaho of the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy.

WISCONSIN

JANESVILLE : International Day of Peace is coming to Rotary Gardens on Sunday, September 20, and we have a full afternoon planned. Here’s what’s happening: 11:00 AM, Atrium: Free program on Japanese Maples with Miles Minter, followed by a walk to the Japanese Gardens 12:30 PM, North Pointe Gardens: Opening Peace Ceremony 12:30-3:00 PM: Guided tours through our International Gardens (Japanese, Scottish, English Cottage, and Italian), led by Dale Griffa

WVOMING

CHEYENNE : A fall freedom rally marking the International Day of Peace is planned for Sept. 26 at the Wyoming State Capitol.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North America

‘America Belongs to the People’: No Kings Coalition Plans Oct. 17 Early Voting Action

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article by Jessica Corbett from Common Dreams (reprinted according to Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

“On October 17th, No Kings: Vote Early will show the billionaire elites attempting to destroy our country that We the People have the power by mobilizing turnout to make our elections too big for the evils of  fascism and oligarchy to rig,” according to Sarah Parker, a spokesperson for the 50501 movement.


People hold signs that declare “No Kings” in Detroit, Michigan, on February 17, 2025, which was President’s Day. (Photo by Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The movement is part of the No Kings Coalition that has held a trio of  protests across the United States since President Donald Trump returned to power last year.

Now, with the midterm elections less than two months away, the coalition is planning a fourth day of action. Parker, who’s also executive director of Voices of Florida Fund, declared Tuesday that “the people, united, will never be defeated.”

The first round of protests was held in June 2025, on Trump’s birthday. The ACLU’s chief political and advocacy officer, Deirdre Schifeling, said at the time that “No Kings is really about standing up for democracy, standing up for people’s rights and liberties in this country, and against the gross abuse of power that we’ve seen consistently from the Trump administration.”

As with those first demonstrations, millions of people took to US streets again last October. Then, Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, told Common Dreams that “what we’re seeing from this administration is authoritarian slip. We are seeing them attack judges, attack nonprofits, trying to attack the media, stifle First Amendment protected speech, and arrest sitting members of Congress for doing their oversight” of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The third action, in March, followed ICE’s deadly invasion of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, and Trump launching his illegal war on Iran. The three themes of those demonstrations,  said Indivisible co-executive director Leah Greenberg, were “no kings, no ICE, no war.”

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Questions related to this article:

The struggle for human rights, is it gathering force in the USA?

How can we be sure to get news about peace demonstrations?

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Her co-executive director, Ezra Levin, said Tuesday that “since the first No Kings in June of last year, millions of people have demonstrated they are not afraid and they will not bow to any would-be American king. We’ve sent that message loud and clear—but we’re not just sending a message with this next No Kings.”

“We’re taking back power for the people using our constitutional right to organize and our constitutional right to vote,” Levin stressed. “While corrupt politicians and elected officials line their pockets, families across America are struggling to put food on the table and gas in the car. No Kings: Vote Early is about making sure every eligible voter has a plan to vote, knows their options, and is ready to make their voice heard.”

Schifeling, from the ACLU, noted that “this year, voters are facing coordinated efforts from their own government to make it harder for eligible voters to vote and have their vote counted. That’s why this next chapter of No Kings is focused on encouraging all voters to make a plan to vote as early as possible.”

“In a democracy, elected officials are supposed to be accountable to their constituents; voting is one of the best ways to ensure they are,” she continued. “No Kings will be on the ground in communities across the country making sure that all eligible voters can and do vote.” Public Citizen’s Gilbert said that “the importance of as many people as possible voting early cannot be overstated.”

“Early voting can make the difference between voting and not voting for people who are traveling, who are working on Election Day, who need options for childcare while voting, and more,” she highlighted. “Voting is democracy in action at a time when authoritarianism and oligarchy are looming large, and standing together to cast our vote is one of the most patriotic things we can do right now.”

In addition to Trump’s authoritarian policies, US voters are contending with high prices tied to the president’s policies, from the Iran War to his legally dubious tariffs. Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown, co-founders of Black Voters Matter Fund, noted that “the cost of our groceries, our utility bills, our healthcare—all of it is shaped by the people we elect and the decisions they make, which is why our participation matters.”

“America belongs to the people—not to kings, billionaires, or politicians,” Albright and Brown emphasized.

Other coalition members include the American Federation of Teachers, MoveOn, State Voices, and Voto Latino, whose executive director, Beatriz Lopez, vowed that “on October 17th, we will show up, vote early, and vote like our future depends on it because American democracy has no kings.”

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HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

USA: Bea Lumpkin and How an Antifascist Rests in Power

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article by Stacy Davis Gates in In These Times

When people ask me what it means to be a woman in power, I think about Bea Lumpkin, because power means you don’t wait for permission.

Not power as in proximity to the powerful, or having a seat at a table someone else built. I mean power as in knowing early which side you were on, then spending every day of your life standing on the business of that side.

Bea passed away June 14 at 107 years old. A lifelong communist and the Jewish daughter of Russian immigrants, she married a Black man during the height of the Red Scare in 1949 and raised a family under the restrictive conventions of Jim Crow fascism.


Bea Lumpkin with her husband Frank

The United States in the mid-20th century was a country where inter-racial marriage was still illegal in 30 states, and where the Supreme Court would not strike down those laws until 1967. A federal agent might show up at your door simply because of who you loved and what you believed.

It was the McCarthy era, and the openly Communist Lumpkins were already a target for their activism. But their politics were the least of it. They were an interracial couple in America in 1949. That alone was enough to make them a threat.

In a 2019 article for People’s World, Bea Lumpkin wrote: “In addition to fighting back against school closures and the firing of teachers, it is important to keep the struggle for an anti-racist, multicultural curriculum front and center.”

Bea and her husband, Frank — steel-worker, son of sharecroppers — were undeterred.

To understand what Bea brought to her marriage, and to everything else in her life, you have to understand what she had already lived by the time she married.

Her parents were Russian revolutionaries. Her father was arrested after returning fire on the Czar’s Cossacks when they attacked the synagogue where the Jewish Labor Bund was meeting. Her mother helped engineer his escape.

Bea was born knowing which side she was on, telling the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund in 2025, “I always knew, even when I was 6 years old, how much injustice there was.”

By age 9, she was making solidarity trips in support of striking textile workers. At 14, she lied about her age to get a factory job assembling radio tubes and joined the Metal Workers Industrial Union. At Hunter College, when the school threatened to raise the price of a half pint of milk from five to six cents, she organized a boycott and won. She was later suspended for organizing a conference against war and fascism on campus.

At 19, Bea was one of the organizers hired by the newly formed Congress of Industrial Organizations to organize more than 30,000 laundry workers in New York City. She was a radio technician with the United Electrical Workers and a defense worker during World War II.

In 1948, she stood alongside Paul Robeson at a labor rally in New York. She marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park. She stood alongside the Black Panthers on Chicago’s West Side. Legend in our movement holds that she once babysat a young Fred Hampton.

She bore witness to the state killing striking workers during the 1937 Memorial Day Massacre in Chicago, where 10 were killed and 90 injured when police shot into the crowd. She knowingly took risks to win justice and to marry the love of her life.

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Questions related to this article:

How can we carry forward the work of the great peace and justice activists who went before us?

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Bea was many things that our politics too often tries to reduce and sort into separate boxes. She was a mother, and she was an educator who started her classroom career at age 47. She was a mathematician who published groundbreaking scholarship on the multicultural roots of math and science because her students demanded to see themselves in what they were learning. She was a feminist who co-founded the Coalition of Labor Union Women in 1974. She was a fierce advocate for climate justice in her 100s.

Bea’s existence resisted reduction because it undersells the enormous impact of her life. She wasn’t an “-ism.” She was a force of nature. The labor movement Bea entered as a teenager in the 1930s was fighting for things we now take as bedrock: the right to organize, the minimum wage and the eight-hour workday. She was raised to believe that her existence was to make the world a more just place for everyone. For Bea, the struggle was never a sacrifice. It was a joy.

As a Black woman leading a labor union in this particular moment in America, when the rights Bea’s generation bled for are being dismantled in real time, when public education is under assault, when the multiracial coalitions she built her life around are being deliberately fractured,
I find myself asking what Bea would do.

She would be at the rally, on the picket line and knocking doors. She would be organizing young people and old people in the same room. She would be furious and unrelenting, yet jubilant and optimistic. She didn’t slow down by choice. Her body made that decision for her.

Bea taught us the discipline of showing up, and the refusal to leave a struggle to someone else.

She embodied the understanding that justice is not something you wait for, but something you build, generation by generation, in union halls and church basements, and on picket lines, no matter the weather. Well into her 100s she attended every monthly delegate meeting and protest and caucus meeting for the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and oftentimes got there without any support or assistance. I can close my eyes and see that black fanny pack, red CTU cap, and fist held high in proud defiance.

She was our friend, and we are going to miss her.

Roberta Wilson, a longtime organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), gave 80 years of her life to educating students.

Our union also lost in these same days of grief one of our longtime members, Roberta Wilson.

Roberta came north from Thomson, Georgia, as part of the Second Great Migration that helped build Chicago. She gave 80 years of her life to her faith, to educating her students, to organizing her block club, coat drives, and food pantry, and to creating a scholarship fund that sent Black children from Chicago’s West Side to college.

Black history.

Where Bea showed us how to fight, Roberta showed us how to hold, and how to be the root system of a community that allowed everything above ground to grow.

They are the women on whom this movement is built.

Excerpt from her book, Joy in the Struggle: My Life and Love by Beatrice Lumpkin, International Publishers, 2018. Free for any DSA or Union member

‘So how do I feel about fighting for the same issues again and again? My reply is, “Yes, I am tired of the system that puts profits first. But I am not tired of fighting capitalism. Each fight brings us in touch with wonderful fellow-fighters. Each fight hastens the day when organized workers and their allies will be strong enough to get rid of capitalism and begin to build socialism. Yes, there is joy in the struggle.’ —

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The author, Stacy Davis Gates, is president of the Chicago Teachers Union and the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

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HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

Thousands march in Washington as leaders warn of voting and civil rights rollbacks

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article from Reuters (reproduced by permission)

More than six decades after Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps ‌of the Lincoln Memorial and declared his dream for a more just America, thousands gathered in Washington on Friday to warn that voting rights and other freedoms he fought and died for are once again under threat.

Civil rights leaders invoked the same demands he made from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial two and a half generations ago: that the fight for equality remains unfinished.

The event, called “March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote,” drew several thousand people to the National Mall, including union members, students, members of Black Greek-letter organizations, and attendees of all ages who traveled from across the country.


Photo from video accompanying the article

The march comes after the Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act this year, setting off a string of redistricting battles across the South, with Republican-led statehouses moving quickly, in some cases within days, to redraw congressional maps in time for midterm elections in November.

“We know in this fight we’re fighting powerful forces, but this is why we rally today,” said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the civil rights organization National Urban League. “This is why we seek to bring Americans together of goodwill from all races, from all sections of the country to push back as forcefully as we can.”

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Questions related to this article:

The struggle for human rights, is it gathering force in the USA?

How can we be sure to get news about peace demonstrations?

(Article continued from the left column)

The gathering was organized by Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and Martin Luther King III ‌and Arndrea Waters King’s Drum Major Institute, alongside more than 90 community partner organizations, including the NAACP and National Urban League.

“Defending the vote means defending the foundation of our democracy,” said King III in a statement. “Sixty-three years after my father stood at the Lincoln Memorial, we are called to march again, not only in remembrance, but in action.”

According to the organizers, the march aims to “confront the systemic rollback of civil rights at this critical moment,” referring to President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb mail-in voting, weaken anti-discrimination protections across the federal government and fundamentally shift what civil rights are.

“We stand on the same ground because the work is not finished,” Sharpton wrote in a letter to supporters. “The right to vote, the very foundation of our power, is being chipped away in statehouse after statehouse. When the vote is weakened, every other right grows fragile with it.”

The program began at 9 a.m. ET with confirmed speakers U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

“Black unemployment is up, Black homeownership is down and Black political representation is under assault with Jim Crow-like tactics all throughout the South — challenging times,” Jeffries said, referring to the system of state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the American South until the 1960s.

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HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

California was mostly solar-powered in May — a global first

.. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ..

An article from Canary Media

While the Trump administration is busy pointing out that the sun doesn’t shine at night, solar is breaking records around the world, including in sunny California.

Solar panels produced 51% of California’s electricity in May, the first time the clean energy source surpassed the halfway mark for an entire month. The data counts both large-scale installations and the state’s bounty of rooftop arrays.

(click on image to enlarge it.)

This isn’t just a milestone moment for California; it’s a milestone for the entire world. Think tank Ember says the state is the globe’s first major economy to cross the 50% threshold. (Hungary, at 47% in June 2025, is knocking at the door, though it has a far smaller GDP.)

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Question for this article:

Are we making progress in renewable energy?

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Solar’s rise has helped California cut polluting energy sources out of its power mix. Natural gas is the only fossil fuel that California power plants burn at appreciable levels, and solar is steadily squeezing it out of the system. Case in point: Solar outproduced gas not only during its record month of May but throughout every month in 2026 leading up to it, too.

Solar could not have reached these heights alone. It needed batteries to get here — and California has that crucial energy storage in spades. The California Independent System Operator, which manages most of the state’s grid, now boasts 16 gigawatts of batteries that can shift abundant midday solar production to later in the evening. It’s not uncommon for batteries to meet over one-quarter of the state’s electricity demand for a portion of the night.

All this solar and storage would have been hard to imagine a decade ago. Back then, in its best month — also sunny, mild May — solar accounted for just 17% of electricity. That number is well above the current national average for solar, but a far cry from 51%. CAISO’s battery fleet, meanwhile, was a measly 61 megawatts. So, storage has grown by, uh … 26,129% over the last decade, a number so cartoonishly large that I’m almost hesitant to print it.

Expect California to see more months break the 50% threshold soon. And in the coming years, expect more states and countries to cross the halfway mark, too.

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North America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

US: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights alarmed at deaths in ICE custody, calls for urgent preventive action

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

An press release from the United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday [June 26] urged prompt action to prevent further loss of life in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and called for independent investigations into all deaths under ICE custody.

Türk said that it is alarming that, according to US Government official data, in the first five months of this year, 18 people had died in ICE detention. A further case of death in ICE custody has been reported this month. In 2025, a total of 33 deaths were registered, compared with 11 in 2024.

The lack of transparency and clarity surrounding the circumstances of these deaths in custody undermines accountability for them, the High Commissioner added.


ICE detention centre in Newark, New Jersey on June 6, 2026 © RYAN MURPHY / AFP

“I call for prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations into all deaths in ICE custody. Those responsible for violations of the law must be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence must be upheld,” said Türk.

These deaths occurred in a context of broad expansion of the US immigration detention system, with ICE currently holding over 60,000 individuals compared to approximately 40,000 in early 2025, according to the latest official data. There are plans to further increase the detention capacity up to 90,000 people by the end of 2026.

Detainees, who include entire families with children, and medically vulnerable people, are frequently reported to face inhuman conditions of detention and treatment, including inadequate healthcare and food, and exposure to disease outbreaks in overcrowded facilities. There have been concerning allegations regarding the use of force. Additionally, five of the officially reported deaths in 2026 were classified as suicides.

A lack of information regarding the whereabouts of detainees during transfers has been reported, causing significant distress among families, while prolonged uncertainty surrounding legal status and processes contributes to psychological distress among detainees.

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Türk also expressed alarm over the reported use of solitary confinement, which should be an exceptional measure, and, particularly when prolonged or indefinite, could amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

“All these factors exacerbate vulnerability and raise serious concerns as to whether some of these deaths in ICE custody could have been prevented,” said the High Commissioner.

He stressed that alternatives to detention should be prioritized. Immigration detention should be an exceptional measure of last resort and should generally be avoided for people with significant medical or mental health conditions, as well as pregnant women. Regardless of their immigration status or that of their parents, children should not be subjected to immigration detention.

US immigration authorities must ensure that their detention facilities comply with international human rights norms and standards. This includes upholding dignity, avoiding overcrowding, providing timely access to healthcare, including mental health services, family notification, consular assistance, legal representation, and necessary interpretation services for all individuals in immigration detention.

The High Commissioner urged the full restoration and strengthening of independent oversight mechanisms for immigration detention, highlighting their importance as a key safeguard against abuse. He also stressed the crucial role of Congressional bodies in overseeing immigration enforcement practices and associated public funding, to ensure better compliance with international human rights law.

Türk strongly denounced the continued dehumanisation and criminalisation of migrants and refugees. He expressed support for all those who continue to advocate for dignity, fairness, and the protection of their human rights, including lawyers, journalists, faith-based organisations, and civil society groups.

He emphasised that no one should be sent back to a place where they could face serious human rights violations or other irreversible harm.

For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
: Ravina Shamdasani – ravina.shamdasani@un.org
    
Marta Hurtado – marta.hurtadogomez@un.org

In New York
: Laura Gelbert – gelbert@un.org
WhatsApp
X: @UNHumanRights

Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
Instagram: @unitednationshumanrights

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