May Day is celebrated around the world as labor day. Originally in recognition of the US. labor leaders executed by the state of Illinois after the Haymarket Square bombing in 1886, May Day has enjoyed a renewed relevance in the U.S. in recent decades as immigrants from Latin America have used the day to demand immigration reform and assert their dignity and rights as workers.
This year we have multiple options if you would like to get out in the streets and celebrate alongside your fellow workers. In Salem CAUSA, the Oregon immigrants’ rights advocacy organization, has a rally at the state capitol building that will feature speeches from Governor Kate Brown and State Representative from Woodburn Teresa Alonso León. The event is cosponsored by an array of social and labor organizations, including our sibling educators’ union OSEA and the Oregon AFL-CIO. You can find all of the information you could ever need on the rally at its Facebook event page. In Eugene, a coalition of local organizations including the Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC), Citywide MEChA, the Grupo Latino de Acción Directa (GLAD), and SAfER will be rallying for immigrants’ rights at the new Federal District Court House beginning at 9:00 AM.
If you cannot make it up to Salem stop by and stand beside your community on International Working People’s Day. You can get details on the even from their Facebook event page.
The final event is a teach-in about “Labor: Past, Present, and Future” from 6:00 to 8:00 in Lawrence Hall 166. Speakers will include representatives from the GTFF, Eugene/Springfield Solidarity Network (ESSN), SEIU, the Student-Labor Action Project (SLAP), the UO’s Labor Education and Research Center (LERC), and our own United Academics. It should be a lively discussion of where we stand and where our movement is headed as we face a challenging future. You can find details on their Facebook event page.