Women activists came together on May Day
2017Ann Montague 2017-05Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 4 →
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4 SOCIALIST ACTION MAY 2017 The organizers of the International Women’s Day Strikes issued a compre hensive statement encouraging women to support the May Day actions this year. It was entitled, “No Ban, No Wall, No ICE,” and said in part, “We come together with the understanding that our exploitation as waged and unwaged workers have a common cause and our oppressions as people of color and immigrants are con nected with threads of sexism, racism, anti-blackness, militarism, environmen tal depredation, homophobia and trans phobia. ... Solidarity is our weapon.”
Women activists were widely seen this May Day. They were recognized as lead ers of all the movements and struggles that joined together to celebrate this his toric worker’s day. In some cities wom en organized their own contingents in marches.
In New York City, the main base of the March 8 International Women’s Day strikes in the U.S., women rallied at Wash ington Square on May Day before joining up with the other marches and rallies in the city. The featured speaker was from International Women’s Strike (IWS), New York City.
Ximena Cosmonauta set the tone by welcoming immigrant workers from worker’s centers and unions: “There is no way to talk about women’s freedom if the liberation of some depends on the exploitation of others.”
Women were a large proportion of the 1000 Philadelphia unionized teachers who walked out to protest working con ditions and the fact that they have been working without a contract for four years.
Kristin Jones, a teacher from Carver High School, marched on May Day with her two children and spoke for many when she referred to parents who might have been upset about their children’s losing a day of class. But then she said, “We had to do this!”
Women were also prominent in May Day actions in smaller cities and towns. In Tucson, the Promotoras de Derechos Humanos, and in Salem, Ore., the Adel ante Mujeres and the women of MECHA marched together behind their banners.
Other unions and non-union workers organizations made up predominately of women, walked out of work to join marches and rallies. Fight For 15 orga nized walkouts across the country, as they have been doing for four years. For weeks before May Day they used social media to put out information to non-union workers about their rights under the law to walk off the job for the day.
In Las Vegas an estimated 3000 work ers joined the May Day march, called “Unity March For Immigrants.” Most of the marchers were from unions with a mainly female membership, including many immigrants. Bethany Khan, an of ficial of the 57,000-member Culinary Union led the march. She reports that her union is the largest in Nevada and also the largest immigrant organization— with members from 150 countries. A rally also took place in Reno, sponsored by Women and Children of the Sierra, Re no-Sparks NAACP, Tu Casa Latina, and Chispa Nevada.
SEIU United Service Workers West was particularly visible in Oakland and San Francisco. In addition, women joined a demonstration outside of the U.S Immi gration and Customs Enforcement Head quarters in the San Francisco Financial District.
Yadira Sanchez, 26, was one of the dem onstrators who blocked the doors. “It is our duty to unite together,” she told re porters. “There is growing momentum and people are angry.” n
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Chicago Sun-Times