a woman raising her fist in a makeshift memorial for George Floyd

The history of the raised fist, a global symbol of fighting oppression

The forceful salute is intertwined with some of the 20th century's most tumultuous events, including conflicts with fascism.

A woman raises her fist while comforting a grieving man at the place in Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed in police custody. The gesture has become a sign of "resiliency and power," according to one activist.

Photograph by Alyssa Schukar, Redux

Huda Ahmed first saw fists raised in protest after the deaths of Eric Garner and Philando Castile at the hands of police. “As a young Black girl,” the San Diego activist says, “that symbolic fist really opened my eyes to the injustices within our country.” This summer, Ahmed has been raising her own fist during Black Lives Matter protests. She does it, she says, because the gesture “signifies resiliency and power through every triumph and struggle.”

The raised fist has been a staple of protests across the United States as the country continues to grapple with systemic racism. Demonstrators use it when confronting federal police in Portland, Oregon. People have spray painted it on sidewalks and the sides of buildings. There

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