In San Francisco, over 600 people came out for May Day, marching from Dolores Park to the Civic Center. The marchers’ spirit and militancy was inspiring. The chants “Sí, se puede” (Yes We Can) and “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (The People united will never be defeated) could be heard throughout the march.
May 1 around the world is celebrated as International Workers’ Day. In May 2006, the immigrant rights movement, fighting against the racist and repressive Sensenbrenner bill, really revived the meaning of international workers’ day in the United States. The political strikes carried out May 1, 2006, were joined by millions of immigrant and non-immigrant workers.
In San Francisco, the spirit of International Workers’ Day was again present on May 1, 2009. The march truly expressed the multinational character of the U.S. working class. Latino, Asian, African American and white workers all marched demanding the legalization of all immigrant workers and an end to the racist harassment campaign against immigrants.
Unions and the LGBT community also came out expressing their solidarity, recognizing that an injury to one is an injury to all. This demonstration was a clear expression of the historical nature of this day, our day, International Workers’ Day.
