About 100 protesters rallied in Chicago to voice strong opposition against Donald Trump and his policies as the former president appeared at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Conference on July 31. The rally, organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and a number of the most prominent Palestinian and Black organizations, aimed to signal the city’s disapproval of Trump and his potential return to the White House.

In a panel interview at the conference, Trump made offensive remarks about the racial background of Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, lied about 17 million people “invading” the border, and repeated anti-abortion lies that Democratic states were “executing” babies after birth.

Faayani Aboma Mijana, an organizer with CAARPR, explained that the protest was called on short notice, yet still managed to draw a committed group of demonstrators. The primary motivation behind the protest was to express discontent with Trump’s legacy and his political agenda.

 “We have four years of history as of him as president and all the racist and reactionary policies that he passed, all the racist things he did,” said Aboma Mijana. “In Chicago, we wanted to tell him that he’s not welcome here.”

The protest also served as a platform to address broader concerns about Trump’s potential return to power.

“We know his record in the Black community, whether he was cheering on police officers during 2020, whether he was sending federal agents to kidnap protesters in 2020 here in Chicago and around the country,” said Aboma Mijana. “We know his racist record, and a Trump presidency won’t bring advancement for Black people.”

Aboma Mijana emphasized that the demonstration was not solely about Trump, and they also want to target the NABJ convention leadership who invited Trump to speak.

“Shame on them for bringing someone who has a history of undermining the integrity of journalism and attacking journalists and spreading a lot of fake news,” Aboma Mijana said.

Organizers also plan to protest the Democratic National Convention (DNC) being held in Chicago Aug. 19-22.

“It is the Democrats who are in the driving seat with funding, aiding and abetting the genocide in Palestine,” said Aboma Mijana.

As the 2024 election approaches, the movement’s leaders remain focused on advocating for policies and leadership that they believe will better serve marginalized communities.

“Our focus is building a mass movement to pressure these genocidal politicians in both parties to end this genocide,” said Aboma Mijana. “They have shown that the source of ending it won’t be from within those parties.”

The coalition will march and protest on the first and last days of the DNC to lift up seven demands; the principal one being “Stand with Palestine! End U.S. aid to Israel.”