Gillian Rath
Gillian Rath
Minnesota Abortion Action Coalition
According to Siobhan Moore – Chants of “When abortion rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” could be heard up and down Chicago Avenue and 41st Streets in South Minneapolis on Thursday, August 18, 2022 as 40 protesters gathered outside the Tandem Family Resource Center - one of Minnesota’s now-infamous “crisis pregnancy centers” - for a rally for women’s and reproductive rights. The action was organized by the newly formed Minnesota Abortion Action Coalition (MNAAC) to demand an end to state funding for Tandem and other “crisis pregnancy centers” like it.
Speaking for the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition, Montana Hirsch made clear that the struggle for immigrant rights and access to abortion are inseparable, also pointing out that “Crisis pregnancy centers like Tandem that exist in close proximity to a largely Spanish-speaking immigrant community are intentionally deceptive, not only to English speakers but even more so to those who are not native English speakers.”
David Gilbert-Pederson, speaking for MN Workers United, outlined the evident connection between the working-class struggle and the fight for women’s and reproductive rights, explaining that abortion bans are only bans for working and oppressed people, while the wealthy carry on with business as usual.
Olivia Crull of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization echoed that sentiment, explaining, “The only reason why we have these rights is because they were fought for and won through struggle in the streets” and outlined the need for a united struggle: “We need a united fight- we need a fight that includes women, that includes trans folks, that includes non-binary folks because we need to recognize that our struggles come from the same source.”
Other speakers included Sarah Olson of Women Against Military Madness, Gillian Rath from Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota, Jaelynne Palmer of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, and Tracy Molm of the Climate Justice Committee. Speakers urged people to call in to the governor’s office to demand an end to state funding for these centers and funding for actual abortion clinics and health care. Flyers with call-in details were handed out.[1]
Teachers strike support
Around 40 people gathered in Dinkytown, off the intersection of 15th Avenue and 4th Street to hold a speak-out in support of striking Minneapolis educators on Saturday, March 19 2022. The action kicked off with a round of chants, as onlookers passed by, some even joining the protest, and cars honked their horns in support, and speakers made their way to the mic.
Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota member and former Minneapolis Public Schools student, Gillian Rath, said, “being a schoolteacher is one of the most demanding jobs I can think of.”
Ana Vasquez, an educator and the Second Vice-President of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59’s teacher chapter, and Loretta VanPelt, a rank-and-file member of MFT and organizer with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, both detailed what educators were striking for, showing that it’s not just a fight against cuts in the moment, but a fight against a long ongoing attack on public education and on the working class.
Olivia Crull, a member of SDS and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization/FightBack! made clear to students, “We have to hold the line with [MFT], so that they can win everything that educators and students in this city deserve.” Crull continued, “Now I love the word solidarity, but I want to challenge us all to go beyond that. Students shouldn’t just be in solidarity with workers, we should see their fight as our fight. We should see ourselves as the future working class.”
Closing out the action, David Richard Gilbert-Pederson, an organizer with AFSCME 3800 and Minnesota Workers United, and who is currently on release to MFT 59 to lead up their strike solidarity work, detailed how much the educators he had did for him, and how important it is to stand with them in this moment. Gilbert-Pederson also made the connection of how MFT is leading a fight for the whole working class.[2]