Interest in the May 1 RISE UP! day of action continues to explode, organizers say, with national marches and strikes in support of the immigrant families and workers now happening in some 200 cities across 39 states:
“You’ll see rallies, you’ll see marches, you’ll see strikes, you’ll see any number of events that at the end of the day are doing two things: either calling out Trump on his bigotry but also affirming the rights and the dignity of immigrants and refugees in this country,” said Kica Matos, director of immigrant rights and racial justice at the Center for Community Change (CCC).
May Day workers’ demonstrations have always been tied to the immigrant community because of the population’s contributions to the US economy, but this year the pro-immigrant message is being made explicit.
“The Trump administration has shown nothing but contempt for immigrants and refugees and people of color, so we really want to make sure immigrants around the country rise up and speak about the rights of immigrants and the rights of workers,” Matos said.
In Las Vegas, an estimated 5,000 people are expected to march down the strip in an action organized by the Culinary Union Local 226, one of the people power groups that turned Nevada blue last November and helped elect the nation’s first Latina U.S. Senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Nevada’s first Latino U.S. Congressman, Ruben Kihuen.
“We want to show solidarity between workers that are black and brown and white and LGBT,” said Culinary’s spokesperson. “In this climate, we’ve increasingly seen community members mobilizing.”
In Texas, Claudia Gollineli, an immigrant organizer with Workers Defense Project, a community-based organization that empowers local workers, says she is participating in the May 1 event because “we must all fight together, one voice, one body.”
“I am participating because I am a part of the immigrant community, and my wish is that this country improves,” she said. “This is my children’s country, and we must say ‘no’ to injustice. We are all human beings. We all want to live in dignity.”
Both Claudia and her husband are skilled electricians, with Claudia holding a degree in electrical engineering. Despite baseless claims from Donald Trump and other anti-immigrant leaders, families like Claudia’s contribute to their communities and are a part of the fabric of this nation. In fact, multiple studies have shown that undocumented immigrant families contribute nearly $12 billion in taxes annually. Immigrants like Claudia keep America thriving.
To anti-immigrant leaders who are working to pass hateful legislation—like SB 4 in her home state—Claudia says that “they should remember they all had parents and grandparents” who arrived here as immigrants and were given the same legal status today’s undocumented immigrants are fighting for. “I would tell them, ‘Have a conscience.’ We are not aliens. Even animals get treated better! We are humans. We may look different, but inside we’re the same. We need respect.”
Claudia, who is marching with her family, her group, and other local community organizations, says that folks who think the issue of immigration doesn’t touch them or make any difference in their lives should remember that “they need to love their neighbors. We are all immigrants. We all came from somewhere else.”
“We leave our houses every day to work hard and make this country better,” Claudia said, adding that she takes pride daily in her work, which requires a great deal of skill and is vital to everyday life. “We should all think of our kids, who will be here after us. Maybe my daughter will be president one day.”
Click here to join a May 1 RISE UP! event, or you can text the words WERISE to 698-66 for more information. Below, Reform Immigration FOR America’s must-watch “Rise Up Together” video, created by filmmaker Frank Chi.