May Day is synonymous with International Workers’ Day, which occurs on the first weekday of May (May 1 or first Monday), landing on or close to traditional springtime May Day festivals. While the holiday for celebrating workers evolved into the September Labor Day in the U.S., May 1 has remained a popular date for pro-labor demonstrations worldwide for at least 140 years.
Hence it is an apt holiday on which to demonstrate with the message of “People Over Billionaires.” Indivisible promotes this day as a time for “No Work. No School. No Shopping.”
The idea is that withholding business from major corporations and financial institutions, at least for a day, makes a statement with measurable economic impact. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate, with higher-than-usual visibility, against income inequality and the trend toward oligarchy in the U.S.
Find a May Day event near you:
See this map of Oregon showing May 1 events registered with Mobilize.
Note that many events aren’t registered with a platform such as Mobilize; so communicate with your local groups when you can.
Other online resources:
Indivisible: The national site for Indivisible includes its own May Day Participation Guide.
May Day Strong: This resource reflects a coalition of hundreds of organizations such as Indivisible, 50501, Good Trouble, and many other like-minded groups. The site includes information for hosting an event, listing one’s group as a “partner,” and the download of their policy manual, The Real Affordability Agenda.
Mobilize: Many separate events are listed on Mobilize: here’s a list filtered for Oregon on May 1.