The Meaning of May Day 2006
In Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Portland, Tucson, New Orleans and over 200 American cities - millions of workers stayed off their jobs to protest against repressive legislation aimed at undocumented immigrant workers. The national May 1st Day without an Immigrant boycott and strike brought sectors of Los Angeles to a standstill. Two enormous mass marches, one in downtown L.A. and the other along Wilshire Boulevard, clogged city streets with up to two million workers. Hundreds of shops and businesses closed their doors in solidarity, tens of thousands of students walked off campuses all across the city, and the ports of L.A. were effectively shut down by truckers who had walked off the job. 
These were the largest demonstrations in the entire history of Los Angeles, but they are also indicative of something much greater. Immigrant workers in the United States, with their massive demonstrations and work stoppages, have breathed life into International Workers Day, or May Day. That holiday is celebrated around the world each year on May 1st, as an expression of solidarity with the industrial workers killed by Chicago police in 1886 while demanding the eight hour day. While virtually ignored in the United States, the day is a legal holiday throughout much of Latin America (and indeed the world.) Spanish speaking immigrants have brought to the United States a lived tradition of celebrating May Day, as well as a sophisticated understanding of labor organizing and worker’s rights. When it was proposed months ago that May Day be designated as a national day of protest for Immigrant Rights, mainstream politicians and community leaders discouraged the idea - with some going so far as to plea with workers to stay on their jobs and not participate in May Day. However, the appeals of the timid and the backwards were ignored by the masses, who stopped work and poured into the streets in their millions.
In Los Angeles, wave after wave of demonstrators filled the streets. Most wore white and U.S. flags were displayed everywhere. Spanish was the dominant language on the streets that day, with most protestors being Mexicano - but many other Latinos were involved as well. Large numbers of L.A.’s Asian community turned out, especially for the march down Wilshire Blvd., which runs through L.A.’s huge Korean community. Some of the signs carried in the marches read: Nigun ser humano es ilegal (No human being is illegal) - Our citizenship wasn't a problem when you sent our children to war - Are our troops in Iraq illegal too? - Jose called in today, Make your own taco, USA. - Hoy marchamos. Manana votamos (Today we march. Tomorrow we vote) and No Somos Crimales, Ustedes nos hacen criminales (We're not criminals, You make us criminals.) Pictures of the massive L.A. marches taken by photographers Stephen Sakulsky, Rogue Gringo and JLR, can be viewed at the L.A. Indymedia website.
[ May Day in the City of the Angels - Downtown LA photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters ]
These were the largest demonstrations in the entire history of Los Angeles, but they are also indicative of something much greater. Immigrant workers in the United States, with their massive demonstrations and work stoppages, have breathed life into International Workers Day, or May Day. That holiday is celebrated around the world each year on May 1st, as an expression of solidarity with the industrial workers killed by Chicago police in 1886 while demanding the eight hour day. While virtually ignored in the United States, the day is a legal holiday throughout much of Latin America (and indeed the world.) Spanish speaking immigrants have brought to the United States a lived tradition of celebrating May Day, as well as a sophisticated understanding of labor organizing and worker’s rights. When it was proposed months ago that May Day be designated as a national day of protest for Immigrant Rights, mainstream politicians and community leaders discouraged the idea - with some going so far as to plea with workers to stay on their jobs and not participate in May Day. However, the appeals of the timid and the backwards were ignored by the masses, who stopped work and poured into the streets in their millions.
[ May Day march down Wilshire Blvd., LA. - photo by Gene Blevins/Reuters ]
In Los Angeles, wave after wave of demonstrators filled the streets. Most wore white and U.S. flags were displayed everywhere. Spanish was the dominant language on the streets that day, with most protestors being Mexicano - but many other Latinos were involved as well. Large numbers of L.A.’s Asian community turned out, especially for the march down Wilshire Blvd., which runs through L.A.’s huge Korean community. Some of the signs carried in the marches read: Nigun ser humano es ilegal (No human being is illegal) - Our citizenship wasn't a problem when you sent our children to war - Are our troops in Iraq illegal too? - Jose called in today, Make your own taco, USA. - Hoy marchamos. Manana votamos (Today we march. Tomorrow we vote) and No Somos Crimales, Ustedes nos hacen criminales (We're not criminals, You make us criminals.) Pictures of the massive L.A. marches taken by photographers Stephen Sakulsky, Rogue Gringo and JLR, can be viewed at the L.A. Indymedia website.
May 1st, 2006 was not the end or the culmination of a people’s struggle, it was the beginning, and in the months to come that fight for the rights of all will grow stronger. The people made history on May Day, but there’s much left to accomplish. Now stronger bonds must be forged between immigrant and U.S. workers - for our interests are one and the same.
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