200 workers at the Republic Windows and Doors factory occupied their workplace in response to the announcement that it would close because of the 2008 financial crisis.
Uprisings
Rick Santelli’s rant that launched the Tea Party
CNBC commentator Rick Santelli called for a “Chicago Tea Party” in response to bank bailouts.
Bus Tour to Bankers’ Homes
The Working Families Party organized a bus tour of people hit by the financial crisis to visit the homes of bailed-out bankers and invite them to see the damage they’d done.
Tax Day Tea Party
Tea Parties were held around the country on Tax Day, 2009, to protest government spending after the financial crisis and Obama’s election.
Showdown in Chicago
National People’s Action and allies held multiple actions in Chicago to protest bank malfeasance after the financial crisis.
Tea Party Protest
J.D. Meadows joined the Council of Conservative Citizens and hosted a Tea Party protest in his hometown of Ripley, Mississippi.
Chicago Teachers Union Election
After two years of organizing in the community, the Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE) took power in the Chicago Teachers Union and began to build a strong, social movement union.
Wisconsin Capitol Occupation
After Gov. Scott Walker proposed a bill eliminating collective bargaining for state workers, protesters occupied the state capitol for a month, holding daily rallies and marches.
Ohio Capitol Protests
Gov. John Kasich passed a bill similar to Scott Walker’s in Wisconsin, sparking similar protests in Ohio and a ballot measure that ultimately repealed the law.
Occupy Wall Street
The location of the first Occupy protest, where organizers camped out for nearly three months protesting inequality and Wall Street greed. “We Are the 99%” became the rallying cry.
Rally for Troy Davis
Rallies around the country were held to attempt to stop the execution of Troy Davis, who maintained his innocence. Savannah was Davis’s hometown.
700 Arrested at Occupy Brooklyn Bridge
During a march from Occupy Wall Street, protesters were led onto the Brooklyn Bridge and then “kettled” by police. 700 of them were arrested, including reporters.
Occupy Atlanta
One of many Occupy spinoffs, Occupy Atlanta spun off into Occupy Our Homes Atlanta after its eviction from the park.
Occupy Oakland Oscar Grant Plaza
When Occupy Oakland took Frank Ogawa Plaza, they renamed it “Oscar Grant Plaza” after a young black man shot in the back by Bay Area Rapid Transit Police on New Year’s 2009.
Occupy Oakland Eviction
The conflicts with police at Occupy Oakland were some of the most dramatic in the country, including the one that happened the night the park encampment was evicted and Iraq veteran Scott Olsen was hit with a beanbag bullet.
Occupy Homes Minnesota
Activists from the Occupy movement fought to defend homes from foreclosure using direct action and community organizing.
Oakland General Strike
After the eviction of Occupy Oakland, the occupiers called for a general strike across the city and succeeded in shutting down the Port of Oakland and holding actions across the city.
Occupy Our Homes Atlanta
Activists from the Occupy movement fought to defend homes from foreclosure using direct action and community organizing.
Occupy Los Angeles Eviction
Occupy Los Angeles was one of the last to be evicted, and one of the most dramatic—police came in garbed in shiny white hazardous materials suits to cart away protesters.
Rally for Ramarley Graham
18-year-old Ramarley Graham was unarmed when he was shot in his bathroom by a police officer, sparking protests and rallies across New York weeks before the killing of Trayvon Martin kicked off nationwide actions.
South Bronx Unite Actions
South Bronx Unite organizes around the continued location of polluting industries, waste disposal, and power plants in the neighborhood, which has mostly been home to low-income people of color.
Million Hoodie March
When George Zimmerman was not arrested for shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, protests rocked the country, including a “Million Hoodie March” in New York City.
Dream Defenders March for Trayvon
The group that would become the Dream Defenders marched from Daytona to Sanford, Florida and occupied the Sanford police station, demanding Zimmerman’s arrest.
“1-T Day”
Student activists and Occupiers marked the day that the total student debt burden in the US reached $1 trillion with protests.
Chicago Teachers Union Rally
A massive pre-strike rally on May 23 brought out thousands of teachers and community members.
CJ’s Seafood Strike
Guestworkers at CJ’s Seafood, a Walmart supplier, went on strike over abusive conditions.
Silent March Against Stop and Frisk
Organizers who had been fighting the NYPD’s “Stop and Frisk” tactics organized a massive silent march down New York’s Fifth Avenue.
PUSH Buffalo National Fuel Protest
PUSH Buffalo, a community organization that began its work around housing, shifted to energy democracy organizing after a long campaign targeting National Fuel that included a camp-out at National Fuel’s headquarters.
National Student Power Convergence
Student organizers, in the wake of the Occupy movement, came together to plan student organizing, meet one another, and exchange strategies.
Chicago Teachers Strike
After 90 percent of CTU members voted to strike, the teachers struck for nine days, holding massive marches and rallies that drew community support and brought the mayor to the bargaining table in a win for the union.
Walmart Distribution Center Strike
Workers at the Walmart distribution center in Elwood went on strike for safer conditions after repeated complaints.
Walmart Workers’ Protest at Walmart Home Office
After their first strike, Walmart workers traveled to Bentonville to bring their protests to Home Office.
Illinois People’s Action Against Fracking
The members of Illinois People’s Action held several dramatic protests against fracking in their state, including a “Zombie protest” where costumed activists took over part of uptown Normal to dramatize the dangers of polluted water.
Occupy Sandy
When Superstorm Sandy hit New York’s outer boroughs, power and services were wiped out. The Occupy network sprang into action, opening relief hubs across the city.
YANA Medical Clinic, Occupy Sandy
In addition to many relief hubs, Occupy Sandy coordinated medical care for people hit by Sandy—including many people who were already lacking health care options, before the storm.
First Fight for $15 Strike
New York Communities for Change and the Service Employees International Union partnered to kick off what would become a nationwide movement to raise wages with a one-day strike across New York City.
Second Fight for $15 Strike
Following the model of the New York Fight for $15 strike, Chicago workers organized with Action Now and SEIU walked off the job, spreading the movement.
Moral Mondays
Beginning in the spring of 2013, protesters from a variety of backgrounds gathered as part of the “Moral Movement” to commit civil disobedience outside of the state legislature.
Third Fight for $15 Strike
St. Louis might have been an unlikely choice for the third Fight for $15 city (called Show Me $15 for the state’s motto), but its strong local labor movement helped lay groundwork for the protests that would come the following year after the death of Michael Brown Jr.
Seattle Fight for $15 Strike
Seattle’s first fast-food strikes came later than New York, Chicago and St. Louis, but the city’s movement for $15 saw its goal enacted into law faster than any of the others.
School Closings Protest and Occupation
Teachers, parents, and students fought to save 100 schools slated for closure after the Chicago teachers strike, including an occupation at Lafayette Elementary. They succeeded in saving half the schools.
Fracktivists Haunt Andrew Cuomo
As part of New Yorkers Against Fracking, protesters followed Andrew Cuomo around the state, demanding that he ban hydraulic fracturing for gas in the state.
Founding of BYP100/Rally for Trayvon
Young black activists had gathered in Chicago to discuss organizing beyond electoral politics and were together when the verdict in George Zimmerman’s trial for shooting Trayvon Martin came down. BYP100 was born from that moment.
Founding of #BlackLivesMatter
Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors, three organizers based in different cities, created the #BlackLivesMatter network in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal, first as a set of online platforms that became a chapter-based organization spread around the country.
Founding of #BlackLivesMatter
Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors, three organizers based in different cities, created the #BlackLivesMatter network in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal, first as a set of online platforms that became a chapter-based organization spread around the country.
Dream Defenders Occupation for Trayvon
When the verdict came down and George Zimmerman was found not guilty, the Dream Defenders held a march to the capitol and stayed for a month.
Rural Moral Monday
Moral Mondays spread across the state, even to rural Yadkinville, population 2800, where migrants and faith leaders spoke together.
First $15-An-Hour Wage in the Country
After years of campaigning for higher wages at the airport in SeaTac, organizers put $15 an hour on the ballot in 2013 and won.
Kshama Sawant Elected
Socialist Kshama Sawant was elected to the Seattle City Council in November of 2013, the first socialist in a major legislative body in the US in quite a long time.
Walmart Black Friday Action
Black Friday, the busiest retail day of the year, became central to the OUR Walmart actions in order to maximize impact on the company’s bottom line.
March for $15
Marchers symbolically brought the Fight for $15 from SeaTac to Seattle after the win in SeaTac in the winter of 2013.
Moral March
Formerly, the annual march on the state capitol had been known as the Historic Thousands on Jones Street, but in 2014, the massive Moral March dwarfed its previous incarnations and was described as the largest march in the South since Selma.
$15-An-Hour Wage Vote
With Kshama Sawant on the City Council, $15 an hour moved quickly from utopian demand to reality.
Freedom Side Protest at National Governors’ Association Meeting
Freedom Side, a network that included the Dream Defenders, Ohio Student Association, United We Dream, and others, protested the National Governors Association over the criminalization of young people of color.
People’s Climate March
The People’s Climate March was designed to signal a new and different environmental movement, one made up of frontline communities done waiting for elite leaders to act. Well over 100,000 people attended.
Flood Wall Street
For those who wanted a more militant action, Flood Wall Street, the day after the People’s Climate March, was designed as a direct action to send the message that, as one sign read, “Capitalism = Climate Chaos.”
Corinthian Students’ Debt Strike
Students and graduates from the defunct for-profit Corinthian Colleges, members of Occupy spinoff the Debt Collective, went on debt strike, demanding relief from fraudulent loans.
First Walmart Workers’ Strike
After years of failed attempts to organize Walmart workers, members of the group OUR Walmart held the first strikes at the retail giant’s southern California stores.
OSA Occupation for John Crawford III
John Crawford III was shot by police in a Beavercreek, Ohio Walmart in August of 2014; Ohio Student Association members and allies occupied the police station and demanded the firing of the police officer in question and the overhaul of police training.
$15-An-Hour Wage Ballot Measure
San Francisco became the second city to raise its wage to $15 after a ballot initiative in November of 2014. The state of California followed suit in 2016.
Ferguson Uprising, Non-Indictment Protests
After it was announced that Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Michael Brown, would not be indicted, protesters across the city faced a massive police crackdown—MoKaBe’s, a common hangout, was teargassed.
Millions March
Just days before the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner was killed by New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo. The officer was not indicted for the killing, and organizers pulled together the massive Millions March in response.
New York Moral Mondays
Moral Mondays New York New Yorkers began their own Moral Mondays in 2015, gathering each Monday on a different theme and making demands of the state legislature.
People’s Movement Assembly
Organizers who had been mobilized after the killing of Michael Brown held a daylong assembly to plan next steps for the movement.
“Shell No” Kayaktivist Blockade
When Shell Oil brought its Arctic drilling rig to Seattle’s Elliott Bay, Seattle activists—including City Council member Mike O’Brien—created a kayak blockade on the water to slow down the rig.
Illinois Moral Mondays
Illinois Moral Mondays took various targets, including the Chicago Board of Trade and the office of billionaire Sam Zell, for its protests that included creative drama and civil disobedience.
Bernie Sanders Campaign Launch
Independent socialist Senator Bernie Sanders declared his intention to run for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination, challenging not just Hillary Clinton, but the party’s pro-business, pro-capital shift of recent decades.
Walmart Shareholder Meeting
Walmart workers continued to attend the company shareholder meeting and present shareholder resolutions challenging the Walton family’s grip on the company.
March for Black Lives
After white supremacist Dylann Roof shot nine people at a Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, a massive rally and march gathered to support the victims and pledge an end to racist violence.
Bree Newsome Takes Down Confederate Flag
In response to the Charleston shootings, activist Bree Newsome scaled the flagpole and removed the Confederate Flag. On July 10, the state legislature voted to take it down for good.
Hunger Strike for Dyett High School
Parents and community members alongside the CTU went on a 34-day hunger strike to save Dyett High School and reopen it as a green technology school.
St. Louis Moral Monday
Activists involved in the protests in Ferguson over the killing of Michael Brown held a Moral Monday on the first anniversary of his death, which included arrests of prominent leaders like Cornel West and Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, and protesters who traveled from North Carolina to be part of the action.
CTU One-Day “General Strike”
With the support of community groups, the Fight for $15, movement for Black lives groups, and more, CTU held a one-day strike to demand a budget for the schools.
28,300 people Attend Bernie Sanders Rally
Nearly a year into the campaign, Bernie Sanders drew massive crowds around the country even after his defeat seemed certain—including in his hometown of Brooklyn.
Corinthian Students’ Debt Strike
Students and graduates from the defunct for-profit Corinthian Colleges, members of Occupy spinoff the Debt Collective, went on debt strike, demanding relief from fraudulent loans.
Ferguson Uprising
The shooting of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown Jr. touched off massive street protests in Ferguson, amplifying the spark that had begun after the death of Trayvon Martin and spreading across the country.