May Day - Change is Possible

The world has been feeling kind of ugly for the last few weeks - draconian anti-immigrant laws in Arizona not only anger me, but also strike fear in my heart. The BP oil spill off the Gulf coast adds another level of sadness for the planet and antagonism against irresponsible corporations and policies that allow off-shore oil drilling. The news from around the country and around the world can eat away at the edges of my optimism for change.  

And it feels like we hear so much more of the bad news than about the activists and fighters, the folks who are working to make change happen. So it was really exciting on Saturday to be a part of something larger than the action in my town, state, region or even country—something bigger, something positive and powerful.

In Pakistan the rallies were against bonded labor, in Athens against the draconian budget cuts, in Jakarta against corruption. For one day, around the world, millions stood in solidarity – from Athens to Yakima, from Boise to Zurich….Over 500,000 people marched and rallied for the rights of workers and immigrants across the United States on May Day. We joined people around the world, who have a much richer tradition of celebrating May 1 as International Workers’ Day.  

In Portland the crowd was about 5,000 people, an inspiring mix of immigrants and labor activists (often one in the same!), babies and elders, all of us taking the streets and chanting “Si Se Puede.” Being part of something larger, a globalized movement, makes the world feel a little smaller, change a little more possible and my optimism grows back a little brighter.

Thank you Jerry Atkins for the pictures