On 12 October, United Voices of the World (UVW) commemorates Black and Indigenous resistance across the Americas. We honour the peoples of Abya Yala, Turtle Island, the Caribbean and every territory whose communities have resisted colonisation, enslavement, dispossession and the attempted erasure of their existence.
We remember those who came before us, those who refused to surrender, and those who continue to defend their lands, cultures, languages and lives. After more than five centuries, our peoples are still here. Still resisting. Still organising.
UVW was founded by Latin American cleaners. Today, we are a member-led, anti-racist union built by and for migrant workers, with nearly half our membership speaking Spanish or Portuguese. Our roots connect us to histories of struggle and survival that cross borders and generations.
Our territories travel with us: in our memories, our languages, our relationships and our determination to live with dignity. Displacement does not erase belonging. A border does not sever our connection to our peoples or to the land.
The struggle takes different forms today, but the demand for dignity, freedom and collective power endures. We carry it into our union: when we organise against poverty pay, confront racism, challenge exploitation and stand together against those who treat our labour and our lives as disposable. Every worker who finds their voice, every picket line and every act of solidarity carries that resistance forward.
Today, and every day, we honour Black and Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. We remember the Caribbean, the Pacific coast and the peoples of Central and South America whose histories and ongoing struggles are too often pushed aside. We hold space for grief and dignified rage, and for the strength, joy and creativity that sustain our communities.
Our solidarity extends to Indigenous and First Nations peoples across the world fighting colonialism, occupation and dispossession. We stand with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, dignity and self-determination. Our struggles are connected, and our solidarity crosses every border.
Land is more than property. It is life, memory, sustenance and belonging. The freedom of the land and the freedom of its peoples are inseparable. We stand with those who steward it and defend their right to determine their own futures.
Ni perdón ni olvido.
¡Que viva Abya Yala! ¡Que viva Turtle Island!
¡Que vivan los pueblos negros e indígenas de las Américas!
¡Larga vida a Palestina!
For the liberation, dignity and life of Indigenous peoples everywhere.
On 12 October, and always: we are still here. We continue to resist.