Jacobin Radio The Dig: Minneapolis Fight Back w/ Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, and JaNaé Bates Imari
Jan 31, 2026
JaNaé Bates Imari, faith organizer who mobilizes congregations for racial and economic justice. Greg Nammacher, longtime labor leader for janitorial and service workers. Emilia González Avalos, immigrant-rights organizer and voter mobilizer. They recount how long-term organizing, faith-based tactics, union power, mutual aid, and disciplined mass mobilization combined to confront a federal occupation and pull off a citywide shutdown.
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Decades Of Organizing Built Rapid Response
- Minnesota built deep organizing ecosystems over decades combining labor, faith, and community groups.
- That long-term base made rapid, large-scale resistance to federal occupation possible.
Prepare Infrastructure Before Calling A Shutdown
- Build infrastructure and leadership long before calling a mass economic blackout or general strike.
- Prepare comms, employer outreach, legal support, and base training so a short lead time can still succeed.
From Specialty Group To Core Coalition Member
- Immigrant organizing shifted from a 'specialty' lane into the state's core progressive coalition.
- That transition created popular-front on-ramps like constitutional observers who then escalated into broader action.