The Chicago Activism Hub aims to address what we see as an urgent need in the Chicago left – the lack of a non-sectarian resource for sharing public information about upcoming and past events and actions in our area.
Too many actions are siloed by corporate social media vehicles, where algorithms arbitrarily or intentionally hide them from a broader audience. Few individuals have the time to follow every twitter, instagram or facebook feed, or signal, email or snapchat thread. The result is a needlessly balkanized movement where activists operating in one sphere often lack important information about actions in others’ spheres.
To address this CAH operates a central bulletin board for posting and sharing actions and events organized by activist groups and community organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area.
It works to confront the lack of timely information about pressing issues and ways that residents may participate in struggles for equality, freedom, and justice by curating a space that may foster networking between city neighborhoods.
The site features a calendar of actions and events, and also offers Chicagoans a means for finding out when and where rapid response protests or vigils will be held when emergencies, tragedies, or indefensible acts by city officials occur.
We believe in the power of direct action and civil disobedience to positively transform society and welcome anyone who would like to help the site achieve its networking goal. However, the site and its volunteers do not coordinate and plan any of the conferences, press briefings, rallies, marches, boycotts, sit-ins, strikes, or other forms of direct action that may be publicized on the Hub's website. We do not publicize events that are primarily electoral in nature.
CAH rejects and will not publicize actions which promote racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, anti-Palestinian and anti-Semitic bigotry, and other forms of bigotry that only serve to promote the interests of those who oppress us.
The content posted to the Chicago Activism Hub is solely owned by the persons, groups and/or organizations that submit actions and events. That includes any photos and videos, which will only appear on the site if owned by the group or persons responsible for the posting. Photos and videos should have proper attribution.
In 1999 protests against the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, which became known as the "Battle of Seattle," were covered by an independent media collaborative. Their work helped spark the rise of 150 independent media centers in cities all over the world. One of those centers was in Chicago.
The Chicago Independent Media Center, or Chicago Indymedia, was founded in 2000 as a grassroots volunteer collective of media makers who were committed to grassroots struggles for economic and social justice in the Chicago community. It was part of a "participatory media" movement that existed long before platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc, existed and well before revolutions in digital technology that enabled activists to livestream demonstrations and rapidly respond to crackdowns on protests.
Volunteers at Chicago Indymedia produced a monthly radio program called "From the Trenches" and a monthly television series, "Chicago Independent Television." They shot video, wrote stories, and shared news about local movements.
As the organization made clear, the media collaborative was "dedicated to addressing issues that the mainstream media neglects." They did not hide behind some false claim of "objectivity." Volunteers put their trust and faith in community organizers to "tell their own stories, unfiltered by the corporate press," and they worked "to empower people to 'be the media'” by providing democratic access to useful technologies and information.
The calendar maintained by Chicago Indymedia allowed representatives from community organizations and activist groups to post details about upcoming events. It was frequently used and helped turn out people for planned protests and community meetings.
Chicago Activism Hub is proud to continue the legacy of Chicago Indymedia and play whatever part that it can in bringing people together for important actions and events that deserve greater community participation.
How do I submit events to the Chicago Activism Hub?
Create a Chicago Activism Hub account. If you already have an account, log in to the site. Then click on "Submit New Action"; you will then see a form for submitting events. The form will ask for a title for the event listing, an optional image, a description, an optional external link, and a start date and time, and an end date and time. Any required field must be completed to submit the event. After all the required fields are filled out, click the submit button.
A volunteer with Chicago Activism Hub will review your submitted event listing. Once it is approved, you will see the event on the Chicago Activism Hub website so that you can share it when publicizing your event.
Do I need approval to submit events to Chicago Activism Hub?
There is presently no approval process for individual accounts. Anyone can submit events, though we strongly encourage you to only submit events if you are personally involved with organizing the event.
How do Chicago Activism Hub volunteers choose which events to publish on the site's calendar?
Chicago Activism Hub volunteers approve events that are issues-based or responsive to local, national, and international developments that demand mobilizations. We will not approve listings for electoral activism for candidates or get-out-the-vote canvassing (unless it is for a ballot measure). We will not approve listings for events organized for the benefit of political parties. We are focused on promoting events that confront city policies which directly impact communities or events that bolster efforts to achieve changes that may improve the lives of Chicagoans. We will not approve events that promote bigotry, racism, hate, or fascism.
Is the Chicago Activism Hub in need of donations? If so, where do I donate?
The Chicago Activism Hub presently runs a very small budget. If costs increase, we may ask for donations. Right now, volunteers are focused on outreach to organizations and groups so that the events represent the full breadth of social justice activism that occurs on a daily basis in the city of Chicago.
Is the Chicago Activism Hub a news media organization?
No. The Chicago Activism Hub is a collaborative that supports helping community organizations and activist groups publicize their upcoming events and actions. Volunteers maintain the calendar to help organizations and groups connect with local journalists and media producers, who may be searching for stories.