Black History Month 2024

Book Ban Protest in front of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, February, 2022. Legislators were about to pass new state laws to ban from school libraries important works of literature and history, mostly written about and/or by women and minorities.
Photo / John Ramspott

On this page are stories about the attacks on Black Americans and the resistance to them. To this day, the centuries-long fight to make America a real democracy continues to revolve around the struggle of Black Americans in particular to have their lives and their human and civil rights respected. Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project, has written that “centuries of Black resistance and protest…have helped the country live up to its founding ideals. And not only for ourselves…” Every time Black Americans have advanced, there has been a democratizing effect for everyone, and every time the powerful have decided to turn back the clock on democracy, they start by attacking the rights of Blacks. We see this today, for example, in the police killings that disproportionately affects Blacks, in the voter suppression efforts  focused on Black voters but aimed at everyone, and in the efforts to ban books and censor or prevent the teaching of Black history. As history shows no one is free until the Blacks are free. And when the Blacks are under attack, we’re all under attack. Please send your story to peoplestribune@gmail.com or leave at our website at www.peoplestribune.org

— People’s Tribune

Articles Covering Racial Justice

Trump-Vance Racist Attacks in Ohio are ‘Blood Libel,’ Say Critics

Springfield remains at the center of a political firestorm after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, his running mate Sen. JD Vance, and other prominent Republicans spread unproven rumors and racist smears about Haitian migrants.

Michael Brown Jr.’s Father Is Still Fighting for Justice and His Son’s Legacy

Mike Brown Sr. releases butterflies after four and a half minutes of silence to honor the four and a half hours Mike Brown Jr.’s body was left on the ground after he was shot on August 9, 2014.

Outrage Grows After Police Kill Unhoused Black Man Near RNC, Firing 27 Bullets

Outrage grows in Milwaukee after police killing of Samuel Shorte, Jr., a homeless Black man with multiple sclerosis.

Milwaukee: Another Deadly Knee on a Black Man’s Neck

Black father killed outside Milwaukee's Hyatt Regency Hotel. He was held down and beaten with batons by four security personnell, saying he couldn't breathe.

Juneteenth: Historian Clint Smith on the History of Slavery Across America

interview with historian Clint Smith about the significance of Juneteenth, a federal holiday which marks the end of slavery in the U.S.

Attacks on Black Americans Warn of Fascism

Every time Black Americans have advanced, there has been a democratizing effect for everyone, and every time the powerful have decided to turn back the clock on democracy, they start by attacking the rights of Blacks. We see this today.

Pullman Strike Continues for One Fair Wage

From slavery, to organizing the first Black union-the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters, and to their current workforce, Blacks continue to fight for a One Fair Wage.

Protest Planned Against Racism and Bullying in Michigan Church School

A protest is planned Feb. 20 at Trinity Lutheran School in St. Joseph, Michigan, about racism and bullying at the school.

Invisible: Black and Homeless in San Francisco

To most people, I’m invisible. Just another nameless Black man blending into the urban background. People avoid making eye contact as they walk past me on the sidewalk.

MLK was a Union Man

A tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a beacon of hope, a driving force behind the civil rights movement, for racial equality, and for his contributions to the Labor Movement.

Martin Luther King Day 2024: Dr. King Belongs to the People, Not the One Percent

Murdered in Memphis years ago, Dr. King’s legacy lives on today — in the efforts of all those continuing the fight he waged against systemic racism, militarism, and economic inequality.

DeSantis has ‘Blood On His Hands’ in Racist Killings says FL State Rep

A white supremacist walked into a Dollar Store in Jacksonville, FL, and killed three people. Speakers discuss the role Gov. DeSantis has played in creating the climate for such killings, and that all people must come together to stop the hate.

Oklahoma Community Protests the Election of White Nationalist

Protest in Enid, Oklahoma over electing Judd Blevins to represent them on the Enid City Commission. Blevins has been accused of being an Oklahoma organizer for a white nationalist group.

Six White Mississippi Police Plead Guilty to Torturing Two Black Men

In Braxton, Mississippi on January 24, 2023 six white police officers raided a home and tortured, tasered, sexually abused two Black men, shooting one in the mouth. The six police just pled guilty to torture. The two men speak about their fight for justice.

Affirmative Action Ruling Hurts All of Us

Two Black women speak about the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action. The women’s comments dispel some of the lies and myths about affirmative action, the affect it will have on African Americans and people of color, and the negative impact a lack of diversity will have on us all.

Mississippi Jim Crow Voting Law Remains: Supreme Court Denies Appeal

Mississippi’s Jim Crow-era voting law restrictions adopted in 1890 by white supremacists to prevent Black people convicted of certain crimes to vote will remain since the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recounted the law's history in a dissent.

Justice for Homeless Artist Jordan Neely

Black homeless street artist Jordan Neely, 30, walking through a NYC subway car saying he was hungry and thirsty, was held in a choke hold until his death. Widespread protests finally resulted in manslaughter charges being brought against his perpetrator.

What Happens In Mississippi Never Stops In Mississippi

Mississippi’s history and current events are instructive—and even predictive—for the rest of the country, especially in relationship to how racism and conservatism ultimately deprives everyone.

White Deputies ‘Tortured’ Handcuffed Black Men, Shot One, Lawyers Allege

Mississippi deputies “tortured” two Black men, using water-boarding techniques, before shooting one in the mouth while in handcuffs, attorneys say.

Atlanta Forest Defender Shot and Killed By Police

Forest defenders refuse to let this murder of one of their own stop them from protesting building of largest militarized police training center for urban warfare in the country.

Aviva and the Virgin Mary

It must have been about 1988 when our young blond daughter Aviva had been chosen for the role of the Virgin Mary in the holiday pageant of San Jose, her day care school.

A Reflection Against Racial and Intersectional Oppression in America

This statement from the Center on Race, Immigration, and Social Justice at Sacramento State deals with the implications of the racist remarks made in private by three Los Angeles City Council members.

Akron Community Demands Justice for Jayland Walker

Outrage is growing in Akron, Ohio, after police officers killed Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, on June 27 after what was supposed to be a stop for traffic and equipment violations. Walker suffered more than 60 gunshot wounds.

Occupy the PGA in Benton Harbor, MI!

On May 28, Reverend Edward Pinkney and the Benton Harbor Community Water Council hosted "Occupy the PGA," protesting the corporate takeover of the predominantly...

Juneteenth 2022: Until Black Americans Are Free, None of Us Are Free

As we celebrate Juneteenth 2022, it’s important to reflect on the connection between the struggle of Black Americans to secure their rights and freedom, and the struggle to protect and expand democracy in America today. The two go hand in hand.

Watch June 18 Moral March On Washington & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly

We assemble and march on June 18, 2022 because any nation that ignores nearly half of its citizens is in a moral, economic and political crisis.

Bitter Recall of San Francisco’s D.A.: An attack on reform

Billionaires and corporate interests, bankroll recall of San Francisco’s District Attorney Chesa Boudin who prosecuted criminal acts such as wage theft, worked to reform the justice system and hold police accountable when they break the law.

Oakland Families Don’t Want Their Elementary School Closed. So They’ve Taken It Over

When a group of moms found out that their children’s school would be permanently closed, they made a promise to each other: They would try everything in their power to keep Parker, a 96-year-old East Oakland school, operating. 

‘We’ve Got to Take Over Georgia State Politics From the Top Of the Ticket Down’

LaTosha Brown and US Rep. Nikema Williams address voter suppression in Georgia and the urgency of using our vote to get the power to insure our communities are taken care of.

Hate is Not a Mental Illness

Gun violence impacts us all and demands that we all play a part in ending it. Sarah Meade of Gryphon Place discusses some steps.

Copyright © 2022 People's Tribune