Carlos Serrano

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, I am currently a 5th year PhD student in the department of geography. My interests in community organizing, anti-imperialist struggles, and anti-Blackness had led me to develop a dissertation project that traces organizing efforts against policing and housing discrimination in Miami while viewing the city as an important geopolitical site for the US racial-colonial state due to its demographics and proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America. In the summer of 2020, the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others led to massive waves of protests in defense of Black lives. 40 years earlier, Miami exploded after the acquittal of the police officers who murdered Arthur McDuffie. Beginning with the aftermath of the McDuffie Rebellion in 1980, I attempt to look at the trends, continuities, and differences in organizing campaigns against the police and housing conditions in Miami. I believe researching movements offer us another lens to think about city development, racial politics, and how larger geopolitical processes play out in US cities.