For the dominant media, the biggest political story of 2019 was undoubtedly the impeachment of President Trump. After all, impeachment is an all-consuming force on Capitol Hill, where the debate over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine devolved into partisan blood sport over the past few months. Meanwhile, the world continues to turn, and it would be a disservice to the millions of people doing remarkable things to simply remember 2019 as the year the Trump Show finally aired its impeachment episode.
Outside the beltway, the world was on fire. Popular uprisings challenged governments across the world, and police responded with deadly force. Youth and Indigenous activists turned to strikes and direct action as scientists warned that the climate crisis is becoming a global emergency. From Hong Kong to Santiago and Port-au-Prince, borders could not contain a new generation of activists loudly confronting neoliberalism and state power. Whether scrawled across a wall or posted on social media, inspiration and solidarity proved contagious in 2019 — and a threat to the established order.
To celebrate everyone who took action this year, we’ve compiled four stories of resistance in 2019 that refuse to be overshadowed by Trump.
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