May Day (May 1) is also known as International Workers’ Day and Labour Day in certain parts of the world, and it has particular resonance today, considering the current political climate. In America, protests are cropping up in an affront to President Donald Trump’s policies, and other protests around the world are in support of worker solidarity.
May Day’s roots were established in the late 1880s as the labor movement and unions advocating for better working conditions for laborers began to establish their presence. In America, protests in support of worker rights took place, and on May 4, 1886, in Chicago, a deadly bombing set off by anarchists left several people dead and dozens more injured. Union leaders decided from that point on that May 1 would be a day to honor those workers, and a sculpture sits today at Chicago’s Haymarket Square where the Haymarket Affair took place.
The wider focus of May Day is largely global, but there is a unifying message this year as the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term just concluded. Within America, Trump’s policies have come under fire as some find his current path destructive and wanton. Outside of the States, organizers are protesting the Israel-Gaza conflict, working conditions, and more.
On X, May Day has been trending for much of the day, and we’ve got a series of posts to share below. To learn more about the day, click
here.
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Photo: Remon Haazen / Getty
