Cahokia Mounds as part of the Justice Journey; Learning about Resistance

Russell Dahlman is one of many who is on the Justice Journey heading to Louisiana to reject the Trump Administration’s unrelenting attacks on our immigrant communities. Russell knows what it is like to organize and win as a member of Starbucks Workers United and hopped on the bus in Chicago, Illinois. 

Russell says, “I chose to be part of this Justice Journey because more than ever it’s critical to show up for workers across the country, especially immigrant workers who are under attack. This journey is about standing in solidarity, learning the rich history of organizing resistance in the south, and connecting that past to the present fight for justice.” 

Russell visited the Cahokia Mounds as part of the Justice Journey.  At Cahokia, they confronted the erased histories of Indigenous nations and stood on land that once held more people than London. This visit challenged us to remember that justice begins with truth, especially about the land we’re on. 

Russell felt that as they state, “It was a chance to connect with the earth as a place we stand on and that we’re stewards of, and to connect also with the caretakers of the land who came before us. We are all either immigrants, descendants of immigrants, or descendants of Indigenous people. Learning that history is part of my duty, and so is standing up for those communities that have long been under attack.”

This reflection ties directly into why this Justice Journey matters. Workers everywhere, across the entire country, have to fight for one another, especially as immigrant communities face escalating threats under Trump’s attacks. Like generations before us, we are learning from our elders in the movement and are connected in this fight like the generations who came before us.