Caption by Ashmar Mandou

Chicago activists gathered at the Federal Plaza last Saturday, post 2026 mid-term elections, to urge newly elected Democratic lawmakers to demand accountability and to send a clear message: Our votes count. Organized by the Hands Off Chicago Coalition which includes the Chicago Federation of Labor, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Sierra Club to name a few, The People Have Spoken rally where people demanded elected officials to push back against the Trump administration’s attacks on “vulnerable communities.’ Speakers included Emcee and Education Leaders of Color Partnerships and Innovation Senior Director Jin-Soo Huh; Indivisible Chicago volunteer and Illinois Human Rights Commissioner Mony Ruiz Velasco; U.S. Representative-elect Daniel Biss (IL-9); and Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation Executive Director Rev. Jaime Fluker.

Photo Credit: Chicago Protest Photography