Immigrant Rights Group to hold press conference today to announce May Day March in Chicago May 1st

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Announcement will be made today, Thursday, April 28th, at the Haymarket Memorial, 175 N. Desplaines, (Corners of Desplaines St & Lake St), at 1:30 p.m.

 

Chicago, IL – On the 125th anniversary of the Haymarket protest, immigrant rights activists will gather on the historic Haymarket Memorial to put out the call to march on May Day (Sunday May 1st) in support of the rights of both documented and undocumented workers.

 

Activists and organizers will drop a “migra-manta” calling Chicagoans to come to the march, as well as release a series of balloons symbolizing Chicago’s long history of struggle to overcome oppression. Members of the Moratorium on Deportations Campaign will be available for interview, as well as members of the endorsing organizations, listed below.

 

“We march because the classic union anthem of ‘Solidarity Forever’ refers to every worker – documented and undocumented, waged and unwaged, in the US and around the world,” stated Robin Hewlett, an artist and organizer for the May Day March.

 

What: Press Conference and Action to invite Chicagoans to march on May 1st 2011

Itinerary for Sunday May 1st 2011
2PM Reunion at Union Park, Corners of (N. Ashland & W. Lake St.)

3PM March kick off to Pilsen

4PM Rally at 18th St. and Blue Island Ave

 

When: Thursday, April 28th at 1:30PM

Where: Haymarket Memorial, 175 N. Desplaines, (Corners of Desplaines St & Lake St)

 

Who: Members and Supporters of the Moratorium on Deportations Campaign (MDC)

 

“US corporate interests concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few, while destabilizing economies and displacing working people at home and around the globe. Together we must oppose the forces making us pay for a crisis we did not create. Together we must stand against policies that limit workers’ collective political representation. Together we must fight for justice, fair wages, decent working conditions, basic dignity and full legal status for all working people. Solidarity forever must be for everyone!” stated the Organizers’ website for the Chicago May Day march.

 

Organizations endorsing the May Day March in Chicago:

Moratorium on Deportations, The Flying Skeletons Marching Band, 3d Graphics Inc, 8th Day Center for Justice, Albany Park, North Park, Mayfair Neighbors for Peace and Justice, ANSWER Chicago, Biblioteca Popular, Caucus Of Rank-and-file Educators (CORE), Centro Americano para la Cultura y las Artes, Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism (CCAWR), Chicago Coalition for Reproductive Justice, Chicago Jobs with Justice, Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition, Chicago Otra, Committee Against the Militarization of our Youth (CAMi), Finding Our Roots Anarchist Collective, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Gay Liberation Network, Iglesia Metodista Amor de Dios, Iglesia Unida de Cristo-Berwyn IL, Immigrant Solidarity Dupage, International Socialist Organization, Join The Impact Chicago (JTIC), Justice Mission, La Villita-Chicago Facebook Community, La Voz de los de Abajo, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), M19 Anti War Coalition, Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano, Pilsen Environment Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO), Radios Populares, Red Migrante, Socialist Worker Party, Teachers for Social Justice, Chicago

Teamsters Local 743, The American Party of Labor, The Chicago Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, The Coalition of Utah Progressives (CUP), Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Wright College-Students for a Democratic Society, World Can’t Wait, Chicago Chapter,

 

BACKGROUND:  

 

On May 1st millions of people around the world march to celebrate international solidarity among working people. In 2006, Chicago’s immigrant communities marched in protest and defeated the harsh anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner Bill; it was this struggle for immigrant rights that breathed new life into Mayday and re-ignited the fight for the rights of all working people.

 

Today the political and economic problems facing the nation are even more dramatic than in 2006. The attack on workers in Wisconsin, and the enormous nation-wide response of support, comes against the backdrop of copy-cat anti-worker bills around the Midwest. At the same time, deportations continue at historically high rates, and anti-immigrant legislation is being introduced around the country including proposed bill HB 1969 here in Illinois. As two sides of the same coin, these dual attacks highlight the importance of solidarity for workers regardless of their legal status.

 

Mayday is the largest show of worker solidarity in the world, in which teachers, workers, immigrants and students in Chicago will join their counterparts around the world to march for a fair and equal Chicago.

 

“We march because the scapegoating and criminalization of immigrants is a crucial part of the overall attack on working people. We march because anti-immigrant legislation has created the conditions of modern-day slavery for migrant workers. We march because as long as one worker is deport-able, all workers are exploitable” stated the Organizers’ website for the Chicago May Day march.

For more Info on the Chicago May Day March 2011, please visit http://moratoriumondeportations.org/

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