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Greensboro Sit-ins Begin (1960) On this day in 1960, the "Greensboro Four" sat down at F. W. Woolworth Company Store's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina to protest segregation, sparking...
Greensboro Sit-ins Begin (1960)
Mon Feb 01, 1960
Image: Sitting from left: Joseph McNeil, Billy Smith and Clarence Henderson on second day of sit-ins, Woolworth, Greensboro, February 2nd, 1960 [blackpast.org]
On this day in 1960, the "Greensboro Four" sat down at F. W. Woolworth Company Store's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina to protest segregation.
The four men had purchased toothpaste and other products from a desegregated counter at the store with no problems, but were then refused service at the store's lunch counter when they each asked for a cup of coffee.
The four students returned the next day, and within a few days the protest included hundreds of students. The Greensboro Sit-in sparked a movement of sit-in protests against segregation across the country, continuing into the summer and expanding to other places of discrimination, suc
Farabundo Martí Executed (1932) Farabundo Martí was a Salvadoran labor organizer and Marxist-Leninist revolutionary executed by the state on this day in 1932 after he helped lead a peasant...
Farabundo Martí Executed (1932)
Mon Feb 01, 1932
Farabundo Martí was a Salvadoran labor organizer and Marxist-Leninist revolutionary executed by the state on this day in 1932 after he helped lead a peasant uprising against President Maximiliano Hernandez Martínez.
Martí was born in Teotepeque, El Salvador on May 5th, 1893. He abandoned studying in university in favor of more directly participating in revolutionary working class organizing. He was a member of a number anti-capitalist organizations throughout the region, and became a founder of the Central American Communist Party in 1925.
In 1928, Martí fought alongside Augusto Sandino in Nicaragua in opposition to the country's occupation by the U.S. military. In 1931, Martí returned to El Salvador to help initiate a guerrilla revolt of indigenous farmers.
The uprising against dictator Maximiliano Hern
Winter Soldier Investigation (1971) The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event that began on this day in 1971, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), who were intending to...
Winter Soldier Investigation (1971)
Sun Jan 31, 1971
Image: Veterans testifying at the Vietnam Veterans Against the War Winter Soldier Investigation on October 10th, 1971. Photo by Jeff Albertson [credo.library.umass.edu/]
The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event that began on this day in 1971, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), who were intending to publicize war crimes committed by the United States.
The VVAW challenged the morality and conduct of the war by showing the direct relationship between military policies and war crimes in Vietnam. More than one hundred people all gave testimony about war crimes they had committed or witnessed during the years 1963 - 1970.
With the exception of Pacifica Radio, the event was not covered extensively outside of Detroit press. Several journalists and a film crew recorded
Battle of George Square (1919) On this day in 1919, the Battle of George Square took place in Glasgow, Scotland, a conflict between Glasgow police and the British Army against 25,000 striking...
Battle of George Square (1919)
Fri Jan 31, 1919
Image: David Kirkwood being detained by police during 1919 Battle of George Square on January 31st 1919 [Wikipedia]
On this day in 1919, the Battle of George Square took place in Glasgow, Scotland, a conflict between Glasgow police and the British Army against 25,000 striking Glasgow workers who were demanding a 40-hour work week.
The strike began a few days earlier, on January 27th, after a meeting of around 3,000 workers gathered in St. Andrew's Halls. The movement for the 40 hour week grew quickly; by the 30th, more than 40,000 workers from local engineering and shipping industries had joined in, and sympathy strikes broke out among power station workers and local miners.
On January 31st, approximately 20,000-25,000 workers gathered in George Square. Fighting broke out between city police and worker
Yui/Kyouko (by Bafarin)
cross-posted from: https://ani.social/post/9085969
Ecuador Fuel Strike (1994) On this day in 1994, approximately half a million workers staged a 24-hour strike in Ecuador to protest a government increase in fuel prices, blocking roads and burning...
Ecuador Fuel Strike (1994)
Sun Jan 30, 1994
Image: Protesters in Quito, taking to the streets in 2019 after the government ended fuel subsidies, causing price increases
On this day in 1994, approximately half a million workers staged a 24-hour strike in Ecuador to protest a government increase in fuel prices, blocking roads and burning tires.
Fuel prices would again cause widespread strikes and civil unrest in 2019, when President Lenín Moreno issued a decree on October 1st, ending subsidies for diesel and extra gasoline with ethanol to comply with International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan conditions.
Leaders of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and the United Workers Front (FUT) announced a national strike to protest the resultant fuel increases on October 9th, 2019.
- Date: 1994-01-30
- Learn More: [www.latimes.com
Anna LoPizzo Murdered by Police (1912) On this day in 1912, striking worker Anna LoPizzo was shot and killed by police during the Lawrence Textile Strike, one of the most significant labor...
Anna LoPizzo Murdered by Police (1912)
Mon Jan 29, 1912
On this day in 1912, striking worker Anna LoPizzo was shot and killed by police during the Lawrence Textile Strike, one of the most significant labor struggles in U.S. history. Two IWW leaders were arrested for her death.
The Lawrence Textile Strike was a strike of immigrant workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts that began on January 11th, 1912. It was led by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and united immigrant workers of over forty nationalities. Prompted by a two-hour pay cut corresponding to a new law shortening the workweek for women, the strike spread rapidly through the town, growing to more than twenty thousand workers and involving nearly every mill in Lawrence.
LoPizzo was a striking immigrant worker who was killed when, according to IWW literature, officer Oscar Benoit fired into a c
Magonistas Take Mexicali (1911) On this day in 1911, Magonistas, Mexican anarchists drawing from the ideas of Ricardo Flores Magón, took the city of Mexicali in the first of battle of the...
Magonistas Take Mexicali (1911)
Sun Jan 29, 1911
Image: Magonista rebel soldiers who took the city of Tijuana in 1911, from the San Diego Historical Society's "Title Insurance and Trust Collection" [Wikipedia]
On this day in 1911, Magonistas, Mexican anarchists drawing from the ideas of Ricardo Flores Magón, took the city of Mexicali in the first of battle of the Magonista Rebellion of 1911.
The Magonista uprising was an early incident of the more broad period of unrest known as the Mexican Revolution. It was organized by the Liberal Party of Mexico ("Partido Liberal Mexicano", PLM), and was successful in northern Mexico; the Magonistas controlled Tijuana and Mexicali for about six months.
The capture of Mexicali began in a pre-dawn raid on January 29th, 1911, when 30 rebels, guided by José María Leyva and Simón Berthold, seized the town of Mexicali w
Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt (1573) On this day in 1573, the Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt began with an attack on the fortress of Cesargrad, near the town of Klanjec. Peasants formed their...
Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt (1573)
Sun Jan 28, 1573
Image: A non-contemporary representation of the execution of Matija Gubec at the square in front of St. Mark's Church in Zagreb, by Oton Iveković (1912) [Wikipedia]
On this day in 1573, the Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt began with an attack on the fortress of Cesargrad, near the town of Klanjec. Peasants formed their own government, planning to abolish feudalism and establish self-rule.
Amidst growing incursions by Ottoman forces into the region, local feudal lords ramped up economic demands on the local peasantry. One powerful noble, Franjo (or Ferenc) Tahy was particularly notorious for his cruel and violent treatment of the local populace.
Complaints made by peasants to the central government were ignored, so popular resistance efforts began to develop. The local peasantry refused
Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic Established (1918) On this day in 1918, the Finnish People's Delegation declared a socialist workers' republic (known as "Red Finland"), at the start of the...
Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic Established (1918)
Mon Jan 28, 1918
Image: A map showing communist areas of control, Finland February 1918 [Wikipedia]
On this day in 1918, the Finnish People's Delegation declared a socialist workers' republic (known "Red Finland"), at the start of the Finnish Civil War. The burgeoning working class movement was crushed by imperialist German forces.
Prior to 1917, Finland had been ruled as a Grand Duchy, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. With the collapse of the Tsarist state in the wake of February Revolution and a long-term increase in nationalist sentiment, Finland declared independence on December 4th, 1917, formally recognized by the Russian Bolsheviks on December 31st.
Due to industrialized Finland having a strong revolutionary labor movement, conservative and proletarian forces were immediately thrown i
Samuel Gompers (1850 - 1924) Samuel Gompers, born on this day in 1850, was a founder of the American Federation of Labor, serving as its president for 38 years. Gompers expelled radicals from the...
Samuel Gompers (1850 - 1924)
Sun Jan 27, 1850
Samuel Gompers, born on this day in 1850, was a founder of the American Federation of Labor, serving as its president for 38 years. Gompers expelled radicals from the AFL, promoted trade unionism, and advocated for racist immigration policies.
Although Gompers began his career sympathetic to socialist and Georgist thought, he became increasingly conservative throughout his career, making "peace" with capitalist labor relations rather than seeking to abolish them. This led to a split in the labor movement, with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) representing the more radical advocacy of labor interests via industrial unionism.
As AFL President, Gompers promoted collaboration among the different craft unions that comprised the AFL and supported collective bargaining to secure shorter hours and higher wag
Auschwitz Liberated (1945) On this day in 1945, the Soviet Red Army liberated Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, the largest such complex during the Holocaust. In 2005, the...
Auschwitz Liberated (1945)
Sat Jan 27, 1945
Image: Prisoners being led out of the Auschwitz gates, possibly a re-enactment taken a few weeks after January 27th. The motto "Arbeit macht frei" (English: "Work sets you free") can be seen above the gate. [Wikipedia]
On this day in 1945, the Soviet Red Army liberated Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, the largest such complex during the Holocaust. In 2005, the United Nations named today as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
As Soviet forces approached the camp, Nazis attempted to evacuate prisoners from the camp and to destroy evidence of their atrocities. Approximately 56,000 inmates were forced on a "death march" west away from the camp through the Polish winter.
Around 15,000 prisoners (about 1 in 4) perished during their forced march, and, by the time the Soviets had arrive
Anti-Gulf War D.C. Protests (1991) On this day in 1991, between 75,000 - 250,000 placard-wielding students, veterans, farmers, and feminists marched past the White House in protest of the Gulf War...
Anti-Gulf War D.C. Protests (1991)
Sat Jan 26, 1991
On this day in 1991, between 75,000 - 250,000 placard-wielding students, veterans, farmers, and feminists marched past the White House in protest of the Gulf War initiated by President George Bush. The march stretched over a mile long, sweeping down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Chants included "Hey, Hey, Uncle Sam, we remember Vietnam" and "No blood for oil!". Representative Rangel (D-NY) was the only member of Congress among the speakers there, saying "We have no right to have a Clint Eastwood foreign policy".
- Date: 1991-01-26
- Learn More: www.baltimoresun.com, libcom.org.
- Tags: #Protests.
- Source: [www.apeoplescalendar.org](https://www.apeoplescalendar.org/calen
Angela Davis (1944 - ) Angela Davis, born on this day in 1944, is a Marxist and feminist activist, prison abolitionist, philosopher, and educator. "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot...
Angela Davis (1944 - )
Wed Jan 26, 1944
Image: **
Angela Davis, born on this day in 1944, is a Marxist and feminist activist, prison abolitionist, philosopher, and educator.
Ideologically a Marxist, Davis was a member of the Communist Party USA until 1991, after which she joined the breakaway "Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism". She is the author of over ten books, covering topics such as class, feminism, and the U.S. prison system.
Born to an African-American family in Birmingham, Alabama, Davis studied French at Brandeis University and philosophy at the University of Frankfurt in West Germany. Back in the U.S., she joined the Communist Party and, as a Marxist feminist, involved herself in a range of radical movements, including second-wave feminism, the Black Panther Party, and the campaign against the Vietnam War.
In 1969, Davis
Passaic Textile Strike (1926) The Passaic Textile Strike was a walkout by 15,000 mill workers that began on this day in 1926 in New Jersey. It began as the one of the first communist-led strikes...
Passaic Textile Strike (1926)
Mon Jan 25, 1926
Image: Children of strikers in the 1926 Passaic Textile Strike used to picket outside the White House, Washington, D.C. [Wikipedia]
The Passaic Textile Strike was a walkout by 15,000 mill workers that began on this day in 1926 in New Jersey. It began as the one of the first communist-led strikes in the U.S., however the AFL took over on condition that radicals step aside.
Conducted in its initial phase by a "United Front Committee" organized by the Trade Union Educational League of the Workers Party (TUEL), the strike lasted more than a year, ending on March 1st, 1927, when the final mill being picketed signed a contract with the striking workers.
The Passaic Textile Strike was one of the first communist-led work stoppages in the United States, and notable left figures such as Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, No
FLOC Campbell's and Nestle Boycott (1979) On this day in 1979, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, a labor union representing migrant farm workers, initiated a boycott against Campbell's and...
FLOC Campbell's and Nestle Boycott (1979)
Thu Jan 25, 1979
Image: A FLOC boycott poster c. 1982, spoofing Andy Warhol's pop image of a Campbell's soup can, renamed "Cream of Exploitation Soup" [cultjones.com]
On this day in 1979, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, a labor union representing migrant farm workers, initiated a boycott against Campbell's and Nestle products to achieve union recognition and higher wages. The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) was founded in 1967 in Toledo, Ohio by Baldemar Velasquez.
In 1978, Velasquez planned an ambitious labor action, noting that Ohio tomato growers would be unable to recruit enough workers to see them through a long strike. That year, 2,000 FLOC members walked off their jobs in Ohio, demanding a guaranteed minimum wage, better housing, and medical care.
While some growers were willing to negotiate, big