250th Anniversary of U.S. Declaration of Independence 1776
Actions Across the Country Give True Meaning to "We the People"
Washington DC action calling for "Truth, Equality &
Freedom,"
June 27, 2026
People across the U.S. have been taking their stands, defying police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, threats, detention, jailings, torture, killings and long prison sentences of more than 50 years for protesting. Their many actions take various forms including mass demonstrations, marches, hunger/labor strikes, banner drops, petitions, call-ins to Congress, lawsuits, Zooms, discussions, national mobilizations and more. Through these actions the peoples, speaking in their own name, are expressing what "We the People" means to them. While Trump occupies Washington, DC with 5,000 National Guards and attempts to use spectacles and promotion of the military for the 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and desperately tries to hide that his spectacles have no takers, the peoples are showing through their resistance that they are decisive in determining the history of the past 250 years and what is to come going forward.
The month of June alone has seen significant demonstrations and organizing of various kinds. Juneteenth actions took place across the country, many very large, celebrating the decisive role enslaved peoples played in their emancipation during the Civil War and after. Often termed Freedom Day, Juneteenth marks the date that the last of the people enslaved officially secured their freedom on June 19, 1865. The various parades and demonstrations bring to the fore that Black people have played a decisive role in the many struggles for rights, equality and justice and continue to do so. They are also a main target of current attacks, including those against voting rights and collective bargaining rights and through mass layoffs of federal workers. Juneteenth is also a time when the current racism and slavery of mass incarceration -- with the people incarcerated forced to work for nothing or next to nothing -- is opposed.
Juneteenth
Chicago, IL
Orlando, FL
Denver, CO
During May and June more than 1,000 people took part in hunger and labor strikes at ICE detention camps, rightly now called concentration camps by many. For more than a month, hundreds of people at Delaney Hall camp in Newark, New Jersey went on a hunger/labor strike, refusing to eat the spoiled food provided, and refusing to work which they are forced to do to run the concentration camps, for $1.00 a day or less. The Delaney Hall camp is operated privately by the for-profit contractor GEO Group.
The Delaney strikers were joined by large crowds gathering daily outside the concentration camp. They demanded everyone be released, that the camp be closed and that the demands for clean water, edible food, medical care, family and lawyer visits and judicial review, be met.
Similar support took place for the hunger/labor strikes at other concentration camps, including the one in Tacoma, Washington, which has had nine strikes in 2026, with women playing a leading role. Strikes also took place at concentration camps in Adelanto, California; Alvarado, Texas at the Prairieland facility; Estancia, New Mexico; Baldwin, Michigan and Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania.
The courage and organized resistance of these strikers, alongside broad support, enabled them to persist despite massive retaliation -- including pepper spray, solitary confinement and punitive transfers. Their determination inspired all those standing against ICE demanding Close the Detention Camps! No Deportations!
Newark, NJ, June 11, 2026
Self-reliance characterizes these actions against ICE, as neighbors and whole communities join in to provide aid and protection. While ICE continues with mass arrests and illegal detentions -- 10,000 people were arrested in five days at the end of June -- teachers, nurses, public sector workers have been at the forefront in defending communities and uniting all to demand Abolish ICE Now!
On June 25, 10,000 Indigenous people and allies gathered to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Greasy Grass, more commonly known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. On June 25-26, 1876, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors achieved one of the most significant military victories won by Indigenous Peoples against the U.S. Army. Led by leaders such as Hunkpapa Lakota medicine man and chief Sitting Bull, Oglala Lakota war leader and strategist Crazy Horse, Hunkpapa Lakota war chief and strategist Gall and Northern Cheyenne chief Óoetaneo' (Two Moon), Indigenous warriors defeated George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry along the banks of the Greasy Grass River in present-day Montana. The celebration was not only to honor this victory but to bring to the fore for today the unity, strength, and determination of Indigenous Peoples in defense of their sovereignty, culture, traditions, lands and right to be.
Actions calling for "Truth, Equality and Freedom" were held across the U.S. on June 27. Nearly 70 demonstrations were organized in more than 30 states, with the main one in Washington, DC. Reflecting the spirit of many of the demonstrations taking place, the organizers said, "With resilience and conviction, we uphold the freedoms that define us, refusing to be silenced in the face of adversity. We remember that we, the people, have the power to shape our collective destiny."
Their "Declaration of Interdependence" gave emphasis to the decisive role of the people: "Progress is incomplete and the path forward has never been a straight line. But what remains true is that throughout our history, more and more people have come together to expand who matters. All transformations begin in the defiant hearts and fearless imaginations of people -- traveling from the margins to the center of our nation's stories.
Action in Washington, DC as part of June 27 actions "For
Truth, Equality and Freedom"
"To begin the next 250 years of the American story, we open our hearts and set free our radical imaginations to unlock a nation defined by interdependence, where everyone can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. A nation governed by and for the people -- all people. We, the people of the United States, commit to work together to make this vision a reality."
On June 18, autoworkers succeeded in getting their union to divest $400,000 in Israeli bonds, taking their stand against genocide. This action occurred at the United Auto Workers (UAW) 39th Constitutional Convention in Detroit, Michigan. Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) delegates, representing UAW members across the country, forced the amendment onto the Constitutional Convention agenda. Convention delegates then voted to divest, marking a victory for rank-and-file organizing for Palestine. The workers bucked a decades-long trend of sidelining questions of international solidarity and silencing Palestine liberation.
Another form of resistance is taking place during primary elections in many states. The primaries determine who will be the candidate for the Democrats in the November 2026 mid-term elections. The choices the people are making represent the firm stand of the people against war and genocide, in support of Palestine, to abolish ICE and for rights to housing and a livelihood. Despite massive amounts of money from the Zionist American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other reactionaries to defeat candidates the people have chosen, those standing up for Palestine and rights won federal and state races.
Pro-Palestine champions dominated primaries in New York City, considered a bastion of the Zionists, where Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier both won their congressional primaries in upset victories. AIPAC pumped more than $650,000 into defeating Avila and lost. In the New York state legislature, Aber Kawas will be the first Palestinian American in the NY State Senate and three pro-Palestine candidates will be going to the NY State Assembly. In New York, winning the Democratic primary means almost certain election in November.
Additional congressional candidates running in support of Palestine and with anti-war, pro-social positions won in Dallas and Philadelphia. In New Jersey, Dr. Adam Hamawy, who traveled to Gaza to provide medical assistance, won.
In Denver, Colorado, Melat Kiros won, ousting a 30-year establishment Democrat who refused to call for an arms embargo to stop Palestinian genocide. In the final weeks, money flooded into the race, much of it from AIPAC, Amazon, and Lockheed Martin, but the people prevailed and elected Melat Kiros.
In all cases, the elections represented the firm anti-war, pro-Palestine stand of the people and massive door-to-door organizing. In NYC tens of thousands of doors were knocked on and discussion held, while Denver saw more than 100,000 doors knocked on. Various organizations came together to mount these campaigns and engage the people in political discussion. In this manner, elections are being used as one form of organizing resistance, giving expression to the demands of the people for an end to genocide, abolishing ICE, and for their rights, giving expression to what they mean by "We the People."
Actions Calling for "Truth, Equality &
Freedom" June
27, 2026
New York City
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Chicago, IL; Oakland, CA
This article was published in
Volume 56
Number 5 - July 4, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/TS56051.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca