NWI Groups Come Together in Anti-Racist Solidarity
On July 4, 2021, groups from across Northwest Indiana came together to participate in an anti-racist contingent in the Hobart Independence Day Parade. At the event, Just Transition Northwest Indiana (NWI) marched alongside groups including NWI Solidarity, the NWI White Panther Party, Progressive Democrats of America Calumet Region, Highland United Against Hate, and Cosecha Indiana.
Organizing under the slogan “Unity is Strength,” we marched through the streets with Black Lives Matter banners and chants calling for people to come together to fight against all forms of oppression. The energy of the event was incredible, and the overall atmosphere was jovial and celebratory.
Hobart, a former sundown town where the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) once marched, continues to be an important frontline in the struggle against racism. The decision to march there was motivated by an understanding of this history and the ways in which racism continues to manifest itself in our communities. We saw the parade as an opportunity to make an important statement about the progress that is being made by our movement for social change.
Our message of unity was met with a mixed response. Many people cheered us on. Some even thanked us. One of the most inspiring moments of the day for me was when a local resident, who was in the crowd, spontaneously joined us along the route. We had never met her before and she had not even been aware that we would be marching in the parade, but when she saw our message, she immediately felt compelled to stand in solidarity.
It should not be overlooked that there were many in the crowd, who booed and jeered at us, or otherwise registered their disapproval. This fact underscores something we all know in the movement, that there is still much work to be done. Racism continues to be used as a means for the ruling class to pit us against each other.
The only way forward is to build an international, multi-racial mass movement of the working class, one dedicated to defeating racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and all other forms of oppression.
Efforts at building this movement are already under way locally. Going forward, the groups involved in the Hobart parade plan on working to build a ‘Unity Coalition’ that will serve as a space for social justice-oriented groups from across The Region to come together and amplify their collective strength.
For our part in Just Transition NWI, we intend to commit ourselves fully to the development of this coalition. Our fight for a just transition to a carbon-free economy is inextricably bound up with fights for immigrant rights, labor rights, women’s rights, and countless other struggles. We know that none of these fights can be successful as a stand alone effort. As the great American writer and civil rights activist, Audre Lorde famously put it, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we do not live single-issue lives.”
The need for coalitions among the oppressed has never been greater. As the climate crisis continues to unfold around us, it becomes increasingly apparent that the survival of our species is at stake. We must either unite and wage a combined struggle against capitalism, or else watch as our planet is slowly rendered uninhabitable in the service of a class of robber barons, who put profit over people.
The fight has to start locally. Here in Northwest Indiana, that means taking on environmental racism in all its forms, from the USS Lead Superfund Site in East Chicago to coal ash pollution along Lake Michigan. That means standing with workers fighting for dignity and representation, whether they are steel workers, warehouse workers, or teachers. That means fighting for the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people. That means fighting for the right of the undocumented community to live in peace and dignity.
Together, we can create a better world.
