May Day 2021 – International Workers’ Day!
By Martha Grevatt posted on May 4, 2021
May Day began in the U.S. in 1884 after labor federations called for worker strikes and protests for the eight-hour day. 400,000 workers answered the call countrywide on May 1, 1886. That year eight worker organizers, some immigrants, were arrested and framed for the May 4 bombing of a Haymarket Square rally in Chicago. Five were sentenced to death; four were executed and a fifth died in his cell. An 1889 international socialist conference declared May 1 International Workers Day, in part to honor the Haymarket Martyrs. The day was revitalized in the U.S. in 2005 by the Black-led Million Worker March, and in 2006 by the Latinx immigrant workers’ mass strike. In 2021 the day was commemorated around the world; Workers World Party helped organize a number of actions across the U.S.
by Isabella Garcia • May 1, 2021 at 10:09 pm
Members from Anakbayan, Migrante, and other migrant rights groups stand in front of the ICE building following a May Day march. Portland Mercury
It’s May Day 2021 and, per usual, Portlanders held serval events around the city focused on workers rights, the largest of which was a caravan for migrant workers’ rights that ended in front of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in Southwest Portland.
May Day, a nickname for May 1st, is International Workers Day, a holiday that is recognized by over 90 countries.
The migrant workers’ rights caravan and rally was led by International Migrants Alliance, a global alliance of organizations by and for migrants, refugees, and displaced peoples.