Ai Weiwei is a world-renowned Chinese artist and activist who has been creating provocative contemporary art pieces around the world for much of the 21st century. His work contains powerful political messages about human rights and democracy and has sparked much controversy among its viewers but mainly from Chinese authorities. He uses his creativity, sense of humor, and strong symbolism to create pieces that have angered the Chinese government for years. His work ranges from documentary films to architecture to photographs to music to art exhibitions.

For the last two decades New Tactics for Human Rights has been facilitating in-person workshops with human rights activists in the US and across the globe. We had honed our skills as trainers to quickly build community within a group, foster conversation, and deliver content—all with the goal of assisting human rights activists to advance their advocacy using our 5 Step-Strategic Effectiveness Method.

The last month in the Twin Cities normalcy has been flipped on its head due to the murder of George Floyd. My passion for photography led me to go downtown along with another New Tactics intern to visit Cup Foods, the location where George Floyd was killed, as well as other areas around the cities where the movement for change has erupted.

While most of the world is, or has been, instituting some form of isolation in response to COVID-19, human rights activists have had the difficult challenge of continuing to move their advocacy forward without direct interaction. Below is a collection of tactical actions that highlight the work of activists from across-the-globe during the COVID-19 pandemic.