Thread: Build May Day 2007!

Demands coming again soon!
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http://www.workers.org/2007/us/may-day-0125/

Goal of Feb. 3-4 immigrant rights conference
Build May Day 2007!
By John Parker
Los Angeles

Published Jan 19, 2007 12:10 AM
The power and potential of our working class was dramatically illustrated last year on March 25 and again on May 1 with the immense marches by immigrants. Many are still inspired by those huge protests.

May 1 has historically been a day to celebrate the massive outpourings in 1886 in Chicago demanding an eight-hour work day. Since then, the capitalist class has worked overtime to try and diminish the day’s importance to workers.

The marches last year reignited and re-established the relevance of May 1 in the United States to the working-class struggles of today, this time in regard to the exploitation and repression of immigrants.

As many activists working to revive May Day have put it, the immigrant struggle is a major component of the working-class movement in general in the United States.

The challenge for the labor movement and other progressive organizations is to build solidarity with the immigrant communities by helping to broaden May Day 2007 in terms of greater and more helpful participation by the anti-war and social justice movements, unions and more.

To facilitate that participation, the March 25th Coalition, which initiated and pushed for the May 1 national boycotts last year, has called for a conference to take place this year on Feb. 3-4 here in Los Angeles, where it is based, to begin a national planning strategy to build May Day 2007.

“We intend to put this effort in the context of the history of the immigrant and workers’ movements in this country, to link it to allies internationally and to address the root causes of mass migration in the policies of transnational globalization,” explained Javier Rodriguez, one of the main organizers of the conference and co-initiator of the March 25 and May 1st actions last year.

In regards to building international and multinational solidarity, a special emphasis is being made at the conference to include the issues affecting Black people in this country. In the plenary session of the conference there will be a speaker on building Black and Brown unity, with a workshop addressing such issues as Katrina, Haiti and more.

‘Si se puede!’

The call for the conference starts out: “On election day, Nov 7, 2006, the Iraq war, corruption and a lack of immigration reform took center stage. The electorate spoke and the extreme right lost control of congress and the Democrats are the new majority.

“The correlation of forces has changed and there is a new political reality, but as history tells, the Democrats are part of the ‘Empire.’ They will not end the war. Corruption and record profits will continue to soar. An inclusive pro-immigrant, non-corporate immigration reform will not be addressed unless we march and boycott as we have in 2006.”

Already the conference boasts a number of very significant endorsers—student organizations, labor unions, various progressive organizations, activists who are on the front lines of the immigration issue. Included in that latter category is Elvira Arellano, who is in sanctuary at the Adalberto Church in Chicago. Arellano, who has become a symbol for all faced with deportation, was forced to take refuge in the church Aug. 15 after being arrested and threatened with deportation and separation from her son. Her lawyer is working on a temporary restraining order against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide a legal means for her to attend the conference.

Another endorser is the Border Social Forum, which has 100 organizations on both sides of the border, including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington State, Colorado, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California.

Union endorsements for the conference include the Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas-SME (Mexican Electrical Workers Union), a powerful union in Mexico which today is playing a major role in the struggle against U.S.-supported privatization plans there.

Already, national participation in this conference spans from the West Coast to Midwest, from the South to East Coast. In addition, international participation includes representatives from Venezuela and Mexico, and possibly Cuba.

As the opening of the call for the May 1st National Conference states, it will take a united movement in the streets to stop the attacks on immigrants, like the increased ICE raids plaguing numerous cities in the United States that sometimes even leave children abandoned.

Undoubtedly this united movement in the streets to stop immigration attacks will be the foundation of the renewed struggle to stop the attacks on all workers.

May 1 has historically been a day to celebrate the massive outpourings in 1886 in Chicago demanding an eight-hour work day. Since then, the capitalist class has worked overtime to try and diminish the day’s importance to workers.

History Violation!

May 1st

May Day - Maypole tradition in Bavaria prior to 1590.
Italy - national holiday (Giorno dei Lavoratori).
Switzerland - official feast of Spring.
Czech Republic - "National Love Day" – couples tend to flock to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek Mácha in Prague and kiss.
Lei Day - Hawaiian holiday for the Lei.
Beltane, Lá Bealtaine, the first day of Summer in modern Ireland was celebrated by the Celts, and is now also celebrated by Neopagans and Wiccans.
Northern Europe - Walpurgis Night Annual Celebrating the Death of Saint Walpurgis in 779
Roman Empire - all-female festival in honour of Bona Dea.
Roman Empire - fourth and last day of the Floralia in honour of Flora.
United States - Law Day, U.S.A., Loyalty Day.
Malta - L-Ewwel ta Mejju, Malta, Jum il-haddiem (Worker's Day).
(May 1, 2004 Malta joined the EU. Also Malta Labour Party, which is a social democratic party) This says nothing about being a "Worker's Day"
Festival of Matsu in Taiwan and various locales along the southern coast of China (2005).
Maharashtra Divas (Maharashtra Day) in the state of Maharastra, India. On May 1, 1960, Maharashtra came into existence when Bombay State was split into the new linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
May crowning - Unofficial ritual ceremony usually happening in the Roman Catholic Church.
Whole bunch of other events.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maypole_tr ... in_Bavaria

Someone really needs to remove that Workers World junk out of Wikipedia.

There are some military celebration that occur on May 1st in this century.

Dixie

I just don't understand why Americans aren't marching for their rights. Emails, letters and griping on line are fine, but marching is a lot more visible...and in the meantime, it looks like we're struggling to get ourselves heard,let alone get a response out of our government. AFTER they give the illegals amnesty is too late. Just a thought.