09/24/2026
From Chicago’s original Rainbow Coalition to agricultural strikes across the Midwest and legal battles in California, our liberation has always been deeply connected.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, we are rejecting the divide-and-conquer rhetoric that tries to pit Black, Latino, and working-class communities against one another over basic resources. History shows that our greatest victories came when we stood shoulder-to-shoulder:
✊🏽 In California: The 1947 Mendez v. Westminster ruling struck down school segregation for Mexican American children, creating the direct legal framework Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP used years later in Brown v. Board of Education.
✊🏾In Illinois: In 1969, Fred Hampton of the Black Panthers, Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez of the Young Lords, and William "Preacherman" Fesperman of the Young Patriots formed the original Rainbow Coalition in Chicago to fight gentrification, police violence, and poverty together.
✊🏿In Wisconsin: In the 1960s and 70s, Obreros Unidos farmworkers organized marches alongside Black civil rights leaders in Milwaukee, uniting the fight for agricultural labor rights with the struggle against factory exploitation and housing discrimination.
Solidarity isn't a buzzword: it’s an everyday practice. Whether we’re fighting for fully funded public schools, fair wages, police accountability, strong safety nets, or immigrant justice, an attack on one of our communities is a threat to us all.
How to show up this month:
✅️ Reject divisive narratives online and in your neighborhood; hold institutions accountable for funding the resources that ALL of our communities need.
✅️ Show up to local town halls, school board meetings, and union halls committed to cross-racial organizing.
✅️Connect with and support local immigrant defense networks and rapid response groups in your town.
Who are the local leaders or organizations building multiracial power in your city? Tag them in the comments so we can uplift their work! 👇
