Black and Indigenous organizers gathered June 29 at Camp Mni Luzahan to launch the Day One Movement, a national coalition focused on land back, reparations and long‑term structural change. Organizers say the movement aims to build a nation that works for everyone over the next 250 years, beginning July 5. They emphasized that acknowledging the past is essential to shaping the future, with community organizer Nick Tilsen saying, “In order for us to build a path forward, we have to acknowledge the past.”
The movement’s leaders described their efforts as a response to what they call a false narrative dividing poor, working‑class, Indigenous, Black and immigrant communities. Immigrant labor organizer Brenda Pérez said their struggles are united, but those in power “continuously work towards pushing us apart.” Organizers also framed the movement as both resistance and vision‑building, aiming to confront authoritarianism while imagining a nation rooted in equity and love.
As part of the launch, organizers unveiled a Bill of Essential Rights, arguing the current U.S. Bill of Rights contains “serious flaws and intentional gaps.” Their proposed rights include land back, reparations, self‑determination, consent, basic needs, cultural and religious freedom, bodily autonomy, safety, freedom of movement and regenerative food systems.
Though the movement begins in South Dakota, organizers nationwide will showcase artwork addressing America’s legacy of Indigenous dispossession and Black enslavement. Pérez closed the event by saying they will organize, heal and build a better future together.
