Midnight Riot

about midnight riot

Building a Community
of Art and Activism

Midnight Riot is dedicated to advancing environmental equity and using art as a means of social advocacy.

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past to present

ABOUT our story

Midnight Riot was first conceptualized by Atlanta University Center students during the George Floyd protests in the Summer of 2020. During these demonstrations, impassioned participants were labeled as rioters and we, Midnight Riot’s founding members, wanted to take back ownership of what rioting looks like, giving birth to Midnight Riot.

From our inception, our “Rioters” and community volunteers have focused our community efforts on three founding pillars: 

Education

education

Midnight Riot aspires to create non-hierarchical third places of learning through our educational programming.

sustainability

sustainability

Midnight Riot advocates for environmental sustainability through our community clean-ups, drain cleanings, urban forestry, and sustainable art initiatives.

art

art

We believe Art is an important instrument for social advocacy, and communal wellness. Midnight Riot provides community arts programming like Zine Making, Sewing 101, Screen Printing 101, and more!

current initiatives

Kicking of the Riot Cares Initiative with Care Packages Organized Through Community Donations

The Midnight Riot team and community partners are accepting donations for  Riot Cares – Midnight Riot’s new initiative to collect items of need for struggling community members. Care Packages will be distributed at events and per-request. Email us at latenightriots@gmail.com with any Riot Cares Related Questions!

donate to Riot Cares
view our needed materials list

the riot team

meet our rioters

Midnight Riot was founded as a voluntary collective of students, activists, artists, and regular folks passionate about getting involved within their communities.

find a local chapter

Artist Spotlights

January Recap

January 31, 2024 1 Comment

RIOT RECAP January Newsletter hello rioter! We hope you have had a wonderful start to your 2024! Thank you once again for signing up to be a part of our

Read More »

January Recap

January 31, 2024 1 Comment

RIOT RECAP January Newsletter hello rioter! We hope you have had a wonderful start to your 2024! Thank you once again for signing up to be a part of our

Read More »

January Recap

January 31, 2024 1 Comment

RIOT RECAP January Newsletter hello rioter! We hope you have had a wonderful start to your 2024! Thank you once again for signing up to be a part of our

Read More »

2020- The Birth of the Riot

Midnight Riot was first conceptualized in the summer of 2020 during the George Floyd protests. During these demonstrations, impassioned participants were labeled as rioters and we wanted to take back ownership of what protesting and rioting looks like, giving birth to Midnight Riot.

2020- Lady Riot

At this time, MR used clothing as a medium to create art that questioned the status quo and reshaped the imagery of a “rioter”. Out of these experiences, Lady Riot was born as a testament to our relation to this struggle internally against social norms and externally within the wider socio-political culture of the United States.

2021- The AUC Clean-up Initiative 

In October 2021, MR & Friends hosted a community clean-up within a few blocks of the West End community due to inconsistent waste management services. What started out as a volunteer initiative with a group of friends, expanded to become a service opportunity endorsed by the Bonners Office of Spelman College.

2021- Addressing Prejudice 

As The Riot Team continued to host more events, we noticed students held a lot of negative prejudices towards the surrounding communities; we conducted a study called How feelings of safety are perceived through AUC student’s feelings of cleanliness. The study revealed that 78% of students felt the West End AUC area was unclean, while 44% of students felt unsafe in the West End.This data exposed a large need for sustainability efforts and meaningful efforts to connect AUC students to the wider community.

2022- Creating Non-hierarchical Structures

A lot of AUC students were interested in being involved further with the Riot so the steps were taken to create a structure for students to get more involved and lead initiatives. From the outset, Midnight Riot leadership aspired to question the hierarchical nature and power structure of traditional nonprofits and businesses. This desire led the Riot Team to experiment with leadership styles and structure to best figure out how to create a non-hierarchical, circular learning environment.  To best support the new team members, committees/teams were created to distribute responsibilities and to better organize communication. The Riot Team formed the

Event Planning, Marketing, and Creative Teams.

2022 - Reaching Naptown 

From the outset, Midnight Riot leadership aspired to question the hierarchical nature and power structure of traditional nonprofits and businesses. This desire led the team to experiment with a non-hierarchical, circular learning environment. To best support the new team members, committees/teams were created to distribute responsibilities and to better organize communication. The Riot Team formed the Event Planning, Marketing, and Creative Teams.

2023 - Towards a Greener Community 

In May 2023, many founding Riot Team Members in Atlanta graduated and we began to transition from our heavy focus on the AUC. The Riot Team increased engagement in local political systems, Neighborhood association meetings, and community conversations, as we sought to learn from the long-term residents to understand the root causes and prevalence of systemic issues related to environmental inequity.

2024 - Non-Profit Status

In 2024, Midnight Riot achieved incorporation and hopes to become a 501c3 Non-profit organization in 2025!

2020- The Birth of the Riot

Midnight Riot was first conceptualized in the summer of 2020 during the George Floyd protests. During these demonstrations, impassioned participants were labeled as rioters and we wanted to take back ownership of what protesting and rioting looks like, giving birth to Midnight Riot.

2020- Lady Riot

At this time, MR used clothing as a medium to create art that questioned the status quo and reshaped the imagery of a “rioter”. Out of these experiences, Lady Riot was born as a testament to our relation to this struggle internally against social norms and externally within the wider socio-political culture of the United States.

2021- The AUC Clean-up Initiative 

In October 2021, MR & Friends hosted a community clean-up within a few blocks of the West End community due to inconsistent waste management services. What started out as a volunteer initiative with a group of friends, expanded to become a service opportunity endorsed by the Bonners Office of Spelman College.

2021- Addressing Prejudice 

As The Riot Team continued to host more events, we noticed students held a lot of negative prejudices towards the surrounding communities; we conducted a study called How feelings of safety are perceived through AUC student’s feelings of cleanliness. The study revealed that 78% of students felt the West End AUC area was unclean, while 44% of students felt unsafe in the West End.This data exposed a large need for sustainability efforts and meaningful efforts to connect AUC students to the wider community.

2022- Creating Non-hierarchical Structures

From the outset, Midnight Riot leadership aspired to question the hierarchical nature and power structure of traditional nonprofits and businesses. This desire led the team to experiment with a non-hierarchical, circular learning environment. To best support the new team members, committees/teams were created to distribute responsibilities and to better organize communication. The Riot Team formed the Event Planning, Marketing, and Creative Teams.

2022 - Reaching Naptown 

In 2022, Midnight Riot was able to expand efforts to Indianapolis, Indiana. View the Naptown Chapter Page for more information on the Indianapolis Riot.

2023 - Towards a Greener Community 

In May 2023, many founding Riot Team Members in Atlanta graduated and we began to transition from our heavy focus on the AUC. The Riot Team increased engagement in local political systems, Neighborhood association meetings, and community conversations, as we sought to learn from the long-term residents to understand the root causes and prevalence of systemic issues related to environmental inequity.

2024 - Non-Profit Status

In 2024, Midnight Riot achieved incorporation and hopes to become a 501c3 Non-profit organization in 2025!

behind the scenes

our stories

January Recap

January 31, 2024

RIOT RECAP January Newsletter hello rioter! We hope you have had a wonderful start to your 2024! Thank you once again for signing up to be a part of our

Read More

A coalition of artists, students, community members, and organizers dedicated to advancing efforts toward environmental equity and underscoring the intersections of environmentalism and racial/social justice.

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