Detroit, Michigan – On January 16, Martin Luther King Jr Day, the Detroit MLK Day Committee organized a large gathering, which took place at Historic Saint Matthew's-Saint Joseph's Episcopal Church with the theme of “Six Decades of Mass Movements, The Struggle Continues.” Issues addressed included winning full funding for the Right to Counsel Ordinance and ensuring that all Detroit residents have access to quality housing, water services, good schools, environmentally sound communities, and healthy food. Marchers also demanded an end to police crimes, no more funds to NATO and ending the proxy war in Ukraine. Several FRSO members took part in and provided logistical support for the event.

New York, NY – Over 50 people gathered on January 18, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The crowd rallied at the 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem, a neighborhood that has had a long history of Black revolutionary organizing. Along with the rally, others participated in a car caravan that passed by the rally.

Washington, DC – A delegation of African American workers from the Communications Workers of America sent a letter to Lumen Technologies CEO Jeff Storey, January 11, asking that he designate the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday for all Lumen workers.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), is proud to sponsor the upcoming program “ The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr: The George Floyd Rebellion, Black Liberation, and the Struggle for Socialism.”

Saint Paul, MN – On January 20, Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) held an evening event to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Marcus Golden, and “stolen lives” of community members lost to police crimes and terror.

St. Paul, MN – On April 4, 80 people gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol building to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to use his words to analyze the militarism of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Both MLK and NATO are connected to the date of April 4.

Fight Back News Service is circulating this important speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was delivered at Riverside Church in New York City, April 4, 1967

Memphis, TN – Members of AFSCME and other unions, along with civil rights activists, marched in Memphis, April 4, the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. King was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers, members of AFSCME Local 1733, at the time of his 1968 murder.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 16, 1968 statement from Mao Zedong on the assassination of Martin Luther King. Statement by Comrade Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression

Chicago, IL – The movie Selma is a dramatic portrayal of how history was made by African American men, women and children and their white allies in Alabama, the cradle of the confederacy. It’s about people who decided to take a stand and make the ultimate sacrifice. The opening scene is in Birmingham where the KKK blew up more Black churches than anywhere in the U.S. Thus right away we are thrust into the thick of things, the real dirt and blood of battle of the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1960s with all the emotional and physical pain one can bear. Through the eye of the camera we are immediately swept into the graphically violent acts of KKK terror.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 100 people braved below-zero weather to join a Martin Luther King Day march here, Jan 21, for “Jobs, Justice, and Housing.” The event was organized by Occupy the Hood and Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change.

Newark, NJ – The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) marched and held a speaking program Jan.15 in observance of the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. An excellent turnout of 150 people representing many different organizations marched from the Lincoln Monument through the downtown area. The gathering marked the 204th day of POP’s Daily Picket for Jobs, Peace, Equality and Justice.

Dallas, TX – On the evening of Jan. 15, Occupy Dallas and Occupy Now held a candlelight vigil at the Meyerson Symphony Center in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. The vigil was in response to a call from Occupy Wall Street for vigils to take place across the country. The Meyerson Symphony Center was hosting its annual Black Music and Civil Rights Movement concert. Occupiers held signs reading, “Occupy Dallas honors Martin Luther King” and “Thank you.” Others held candles. Turnout was about 50 on a Sunday evening in January.

Minneapolis, MN – Organized by Occupy the Hood, about 250 people joined a Martin Luther King Day march here, Jan. 16. Marchers assembled at one of the city’s largest homeless shelters, the Salvation Army Harbor Light, and proceeded to City Hall for a rally.

_Dockworkers shut down ports of Oakland and San Francisco for 24 hours _

Oakland, CA – The power of workers to bring production to a halt was on dramatic display April 4, when longshore workers of ILWU Local 10 shut down the ports of Oakland and San Francisco for 24 hours, in solidarity with the heroic struggles in Wisconsin.

Newark, NJ – Around 600 people turned out on here April 4 for a March for Jobs, Peace, Equality and Justice initiated by the People’s Organization for Progress. The date marked the 1968 assassination of Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. A speaking program followed at Essex Community College.

St. Paul, MN – More than 3500 trade unionists and their supporters marched here, April 4, to stand up for workers’ rights on the anniversary the Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder. A sea of signs and banners filled John Ireland Boulevard as workers marched to the state capitol building.

Minneapolis, MN – The Committee to Stop FBI Repression has issued a leaflet on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and the struggle against political repression. Tom Burke, a spokesperson for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression urges activists to distribute the flyer at Martin Luther King Day events, stating, “Dr. King was a giant in the struggle for equality, peace and justice, and the FBI did its best to destroy him. Distributing this flyer at MLK Day events brings out an important message about the government’s continuing attempts to repress movements that are working for social justice.”

Birmingham, AL – On Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, dozens of people gathered here to participate in the Solidarity March with the Birmingham Homeless Coalition and Birmingham Peace Project. Under the banner of, Breaking the Silence: Perpetual War=Perpetual Poverty, protesters spoke out against the war and for affordable housing and fair wages. Marchers began in Linn Park downtown and continued on to the Greater Birmingham Ministry. There, several speakers took the stage, including Rodney Cole, videographer of police harassment and violence towards the homeless; Sarah White, union organizer and human rights activist and Rosa Clemente, community organizer, hip hop activist and former Green Party vice-presidential candidate.

For this year’s holiday honoring Dr. King, we are printing 3 commentaries on King’s political thinking that are important for understanding today’s situation – Fight Back! editors.