Dear {{FirstName or ‘friend’}},
Happy International Workers’ Day! May Day as a workers’ holiday was born in 1886 in Chicago when 40,000 workers – largely immigrants – went on strike for a 40-hour work week. It’s still a day for radical solidarity and fighting for justice, even (and maybe especially) in the midst of a global pandemic.
We’re energized by worldwide workers actions today. From wildcat strikes to rent strikes to mutual aid, we’re rising up to create the world we need. In this devasting crisis, it’s too easy to get frozen in pain and anger. The antidote is always connecting with others and doing something.
To that end, here are a few ways to act this weekend:
- Don’t cross the picket line today. Check out of first entry below for more information.
- Tonight at 7:00 p.m., join us for a special Quarantina livestream concert with jeremy messersmith and the 100% Campaign. We hear there will be labor songs.
- On social media, checkout the organizing happening across the country to #CancelRent. On Saturday, join the virtual rally #IStayHome.
Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week:
Don’t Cross the Picket
Workers across the U.S. are commemorating May Day with a massive strike. Amazon. Whole Foods. Instacart. Target. Wal Mart. FedEx. Shipt. Hear directly from strikers about why they’re walking out today.
Solidarity
Last Sunday, workers at the Amazon facility in Shakopee walked out in support of a coworker who had been fired because she stayed home to care for her children. Amazon caved and hired her back. This is what solidarity looks like. Read more.
And if you want to support worker organizing at the Amazon here in Minnesota, make a donation to the Awood Center.
May Day I
A 70-second primer on May Day from Time. Watch it here.
May Day II
People celebrate spring and worker’s rights on May 1st – even during a pandemic. Check out pictures from around the world here.
Reclaiming Populism
We need a multiracial working-class alignment. This is a must read.
Moral Failure
Prisons. Long-term care facilities. Meatpacking plants. ICE detention centers. We’ve failed to protect people’s lives. Now we’re failing to memorialize the Black, brown, Native, working class, and elderly people who are dying. Read more.
Wildcat Strikes
The current strike wave feels like the start of something bigger. Workers are rising up, and in doing so, they’re building a movement based on a class identity. Read more in the New York Times.
The Great Depression
In times of crisis, Minnesota farmers and workers have led the country forward. We’ve got a new blog on organizing lessons from the Great Depression, put together by our organizers Britton and Magdalena. Check out a few examples from our history.
United States Postal Service
This TikTok video made us laugh, and reminded us that postal workers continue to put their lives at risk, delivering letters and packages for us. Meanwhile, Republicans in D.C. are trying to privatize the post office. Read this interview with a mail carrier in New York. Then email your member of Congress to support our postal service.
Eels in Isolation
The garden eels at the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo have started to forget what people look like, so the aquarium is asking people to FaceTime with them. Very relatable. Read more.
That’s a wrap. Solidarity forever!
— Kenza Hadj-Moussa and Patrick Burke
