By Julia Lerner
While May Day is not officially recognized in the U.S., it is known as a day to celebrate worker and immigrant rights. With yearly protests dating all the way back to the late 1800s, May Day is a day in history that represents the continuation of the fight for workers and immigrants.
The protests have evolved slightly from the original “8 hours work, 8 hours play, 8 hours rest” initiative in 1886 and now represent a much broader range of issues, including immigration rights, economic inequality and capitalism.
This year, the Immigrant March on Washington occurred in conjunction with May Day because May 1 represents “workers day, and we really wanted to focus on who really is the workers of the United States of America … a lot of workers are immigrants themselves,” said Ana Tobar, the internal president of Mason Dreamers.
Mason Dreamers is a group from George Mason University that works to represent undocumented individuals “through education and advocacy,” Tobar said. “We focus on educating our campus community as well as the surrounding community.” This year, the Mason Dreamers partnered with other groups in order to organize the march.
A number of groups protested the march, including a young school group donning MAGA hats and other assorted Trump paraphernalia. When asked for comment, the teachers present refused.
Tobar asked over the megaphone for the protestors to find their humanity and recognize that undocumented students are allowed to exist here, too.
Featured Photo Credit: Marchers walked toward Lafayette Square from Dupont Circle, where they chanted in multiple languages, and showed that they were here to stay. (Julia Lerner/Photography Editor)
Julia Lerner is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at julia.lerner.96@gmail.com.
