Honor George Floyd, not Charlie Kirk

On Sept. 18, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to create a “day of remembrance” for the racist, fascist agitator Charlie Kirk. The date they chose, Oct. 14, is also George Floyd’s birthday.

This is a shocking choice. Charlie Kirk called George Floyd a “scumbag.” By honoring Kirk on Floyd’s birthday, the Senate is sending a clear message. It seems to be celebrating a man who spreads racist hate while ignoring the ongoing fight for justice that Floyd’s death started.

A call for a unified day of resistance on Oct. 14 has gone out in response. The Senate’s resolution “is not about honoring Charlie Kirk,” organizers of the call charge. “It’s about smothering a movement that refuses to die.”

The real crisis: militarism at home and abroad

The Senate’s move is a deliberate attempt to co-opt a date and strengthen a reactionary agenda of white supremacy, anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, and perpetual war. The goal is to divert public attention from critical issues, including:

• The ongoing genocide in Gaza.
• Escalating war plans against Venezuela.
• ICE raids, deportations, and the racist war on immigrant workers.
• The deployment of troops and federal agents in U.S. cities like Portland, Oregon; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and Los Angeles.

The preparation for potential widespread martial law — a concern underscored by reports that President Donald Trump recently told generals to prepare for war on the streets of U.S. cities.

This domestic militarism is linked to a broader war on the working class. The corporate media, organizers state, would rather focus on Kirk than on the reality that more than 300,000 government workers have been fired, hundreds of thousands more are being robbed of their right to unionize, and people are losing access to health care, food assistance, and housing.

October 14 as a test

Against that backdrop, organizers are calling to reclaim Oct. 14 in Floyd’s memory — with action, not applause lines. The ask is deliberately broad: If you can’t join a march, hold a teach-in; if you can’t host a forum, stage a banner drop; if you can’t mobilize a crowd, hold a picket sign with your union, your community group, your neighbors. The measure of the day isn’t scale but participation.

Suggested actions:

• Speak-outs at schools, transit hubs, and workplaces
• Rallies and marches
• Teach-ins and indoor forums
• Banner drops, art interventions, and vigils

The following have endorsed the call: Arm the Dollz; Black Alliance for Peace; Bronx Anti-War Coalition; December 12th Movement; Freedom Road Socialist Organization; International Action Center; International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Jazz Against Genocide; Mobilization4Mumia; Mutual Aid Scientific Socialism; National Alliance Against Racist Political Repression; National Immigrant Solidarity Network; People’s Organization for Progress; Resist U.S.-Led War Movement; Struggle for Socialism Party; United National Antiwar Coalition; Veterans For Peace, Chapter 021, N.J.; Workers World Party.

To list or find an event: unac.notowar.net/list-your-action-for-october-14-no-to-fascism-and-war-commemorate-george-floyd/