Seattle marks the 25th Anniversary of when We Shut-Down the World Trade Organization
Twenty-five years ago, a global movement called “Globalize Liberation, Not Corporate Power” successfully took mass direct action to shut down the World Trade Organization in Seattle on November 30, 1999. Out of that powerful week of protest, Community Alliance for Global Justice was born. CAGJ is involved in co-organizing multiple events to reflect, raise awareness of that historic week, and re-energize for today’s struggles for global justice.
CAGJ is excited to join WA Fair Trade Coalition, MOHAI and others in marking the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Organization protests! Please check back for updates!
Email CAGJ if you have events you want to add.
WTO+25 Events in Seattle:
- SAT APRIL 5, 10:30AM: WTO Protest Walking Tour hosted by MOHAI with CAGJ’s Heather Day. Register
Past events:
- FRI NOV 29: MOHAI exhibit opens, runs until April 27: Teamsters, Turtles, and Beyond: The Legacy of the Seattle WTO Protests
- SAT NOV 30, 12-3PM: MOHAI Opening Day: speaking event & button-making;
- TUES DEC 3, 5:30PM: WA Fair Trade Coalition virtual event: “Seattle’s Trade Legacy: A Journey Through Protest & Power”.
- WED DEC 11, 6-9PM: MOHAI Curator James Gregory: Join guest curator, Professor James Gregory, filmmaker Jill Freidberg, and Washington Fair Trade Coalition Director Julie Bouanna for a discussion and analysis of the protests and its impacts, 25 years later.
- TUES JAN 28, 7-9PM: “This is What Democracy Looks Like” Documentary Screening with Jill Freidberg
- TUES FEB 25, 7-9PM: From IndyMedia to Citizen Journalism: Media Democracy and Seattle WTO Protests’ Legacy at MOHAI
- TUES MAR 11, 6-9PM: Whose Stories? Our Stories! WTO Collective Memory Sharing, with special guest Walden Bello.
- SAT MARCH 22, 10AM-1PM: Art & Revolution HOW ARTS ORGANIZING SHUT DOWN THE WTO & hands-on art-making! Co-hosted by MOHAI & CAGJ.
- SUN MARCH 23, 11AM-7PM: Art & Revolution Skills-Share Convergence on Vashon Island.
Through April 25th
MOHAI honors the 25th anniversary of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle through their new exhibit, Teamsters, Turtles, and Beyond: The Legacy of the Seattle WTO Protests
The exhibit is guest curated by University of Washington History Professor James Gregory and revisits the “Battle of Seattle” through key artifacts, immersive images, and powerful statements from the people who were present. It runs until April 27, 2025. Learn more and purchase tickets.
SAT APRIL 5, 10:30 – 12PM
WTO Protest Walking Tour hosted by MOHAI with CAGJ’s Heather Day
Remember the Battle for Seattle in 1999? The popular uprising which strategically shut down the World Trade Organization’s meetings in Seattle using creative, non-violent direct action? Re-live that powerful week of street protests and learn about the solidarity if took to defeat the WTO’s radical free-trade agenda. Join Heather Day, CAGJ’s Director, for this special anniversary walking tour of strategic sites of action in downtown Seattle (without the tear gas). Co-hosted by MOHAI, $5 request donation; Register
PRIOR EVENTS
SAT NOV 30, 12-3PM: Opening day! Join MOHAI to honor the 25th anniversary of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle and to celebrate the new exhibit, Teamsters, Turtles, and Beyond: The Legacy of the Seattle WTO Protests. Enjoy remarks from Heather Day and other protest veterans at 1pm, and drop-in crafts from 12-3pm.
TUES DEC 3, 5:30-7PM
Seattle’s Trade Legacy: A Journey Through Protest & Power
Virtual event hosted by WA Fair Trade Coalition
This interactive timeline-based event will take you through key moments in Seattle’s fight for trade justice, featuring stories from veteran organizers who led the charge against unjust trade policies. From early resistance to trade agreements in the 1990s, to the groundbreaking WTO protests, and beyond—learn how these pivotal moments shaped the global fair trade movement. Engage with speakers who were on the frontlines and gain practical tips on building movements that inspire change. Whether you’re an activist, student, or community organizer, this event equips you with the knowledge and strategies to keep Seattle’s protest legacy alive in the fight for a fairer global economy
WED DEC 11, 6-9PM
Guest Curator Jim Gregory in Conversation
The Battle of Seattle resonated around the world, changing the conversation about the rules of global trade. The five days of street protests reshaped Seattle politics and the city’s reputation. Join guest curator, Professor James Gregory, filmmaker Jill Freidberg, and Washington Fair Trade Coalition Director Julie Bouanna for a discussion and analysis of the protests and its impacts, 25 years later. Sliding scale tickets.
TUES JAN 28, 7-9PM
“This is What Democracy Looks Like” Documentary Screening
At MOHAI: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle
Join co-producer Jill Freidberg for a screening of This is What Democracy Looks Like (2000). Co-produced by Jill Freidberg and Big Noise Films’ founder Rick Rowley, the documentary weaves the footage of over 100 videographers into a gripping document of what really happened on Seattle’s streets. It cuts through the confusion and tear gas to paint an intimate, passionate portrait of a week that changed the world. ASL Interpretation and CART captioning are available during the program. In addition, a limited number of Assistive Listening Devices are available upon request. For more accessibility support, email [email protected] two weeks before the program. Register for tickets.
TUES Feb 25, 7-9PM
From IndyMedia to Citizen Journalism: Media Democracy and Seattle WTO Protests’ Legacy
At MOHAI: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle: Register
Join us for an evening of reflection and discussion as Jill Freidberg, co-founder of the Independent Media Center, participant in the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, and filmmaker delivers a keynote on the role IndyMedia played in warning against the dangers of media consolidation and shaping citizen journalism as we know it today.
This event celebrates the launch of the WTO Footage Digitization Project, a groundbreaking collection featuring hundreds of hours of rarely seen footage from the protests, collected by activists on the ground. The footage is part of a new online resource that also includes digitized archival materials and the WTO History Project, making the history of the protests accessible to scholars, students, and the public.
A panel discussion will follow Jill’s keynote, exploring the digitization process and how the footage was used in MOHAI’s exhibit. Enjoy complimentary food and connect with experts, activists, and community members as we honor this significant chapter in history. This program is co-produced by the Labor Archives of Washington (UW Libraries), MOHAI and MIPoPS. Don’t forget to Register!
Arrive early to see Teamsters, Turtles, and Beyond: The Legacy of the WTO Seattle Protests, which will be open before the program, from 6-7pm.
ASL Interpretation and CART captioning are available during the program. In addition, a limited number of Assistive Listening Devices are available upon request. For more accessibility support, email [email protected] two weeks before the program.
TUES MARCH 11, 6-9PM
Whose Stories? Our Stories! WTO Collective Memory Sharing
Co-hosted by MOHAI & CAGJ: Register
Facing police repression of nonviolent action, 1999 WTO protesters chanted, “Whose Streets? Our Streets!” Twenty-five years later, veterans of the movement share their vision for how the Battle in Seattle is remembered: “Whose Stories? Our Stories!” Join organizers for a brief tour of the exhibition, followed by an interactive night of first-hand accounts, storytelling, and collective conversation.
We are honored to be joined by Walden Bello, Filipino activist, academic and longtime director of Focus on the Global South, whose new book includes reflections from his years fighting the WTO: Global Battlefields: Memoir of a Legendary Public Intellectual from the Global South.
Check out the exhibit, Teamsters, Turtles, and Beyond: The Legacy of the Seattle WTO Protests, starting at 6pm, with a gallery tour from 6:30-7pm.
ART & REVOLUTION CONVERGENCE: 2 days!
SAT MARCH 22, 10am-1pm
ART & REVOLUTION WORKSHOP: ART TO WIN CHANGE FROM THE WTO TO TODAY
Location: MOHAI – 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle. Cost:$0- $30 sliding scale
Space is limited! Register today
HOW ARTS ORGANIZING SHUT DOWN THE WTO: Join Art and Revolution to learn how arts organizing and artists and performers were at the center of the mass nonviolent direct-action that led to the shutdown and collapse of the 1999 Seattle WTO Summit. From Art and Revolution mass skillshare gatherings in the years leading up, to public art builds, giant puppets, street theater and pageants, song and music, performing roadshows and more, explore a re-thinking of what public resistance looks and sounds like.
HANDS ON ARTMAKING: Participants will learn techniques for using cut paper to make signs for use in paste-up art, screen printing or stenciling. Signs will be made around the theme of “Fund Communities, Not War” or participants’ own messages. Wear clothes that might get painted. Please come on time or a little early and stay for the whole time.
Registration required. Free; donations appreciated.
Join with other activists, organizers, artists and performers who want to build a better world using the arts, organizing, and direct action. We aim to build skills, community, and imagination to spread and deepen the use of arts and culture in direct action campaigns and movements.
Join an all-day skill sharing and gathering on Vashon Island at the Vashon Green School. Skill-shares will include making signs, flags and banners, theater, song, documentation & amplification, and poetry. Folks need to register to join. More info.
