GREENFIELD — It was a cross-generational turnout of just under 200 demonstrators for the May Day rally on Friday afternoon, featuring a coalition of activists, students and labor union members speaking to the importance of organizing.
This rally, hosted by Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution, featured a coalition of around 60 students from Four Rivers Charter Public School who marched to the Greenfield Common from their Colrain Road school as part of a student-led and organized demonstration for May Day. Also present were Baystate Franklin Medical Center nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and singing groups to lead the rallygoers in song — all with a common message of the necessity for community organizing to stand up for the rights of workers and marginalized communities.
May Day is being recognized around the world. The messaging of the May Day Strong movement is “Workers over Billionaires,” with participants being encouraged to not shop and to not go to work as an economic boycott, and for students to not attend school.
According to the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor & Employment, May Day originated by workers demanding better working conditions and recognition for their labor. A national federation of unions set a goal to establish the eight-hour workday by May 1, 1886, with workers across North America going on strike leading up to that date. In the U.S., May Day is tied to the bombing of Haymarket Square in May 1886, which killed demonstrators and led to charges of conspiracy against largely immigrant labor activists, with four executed as a result. From then on, labor unions designated May 1 to honor workers.
David Cohen, who serves on the board of directors for the Mass-Care single-payer health care advocacy group, opened the rally with a speech about May Day and the history of the struggle for workers’ rights, as well as previous movements to secure the rights that workers have today. However, he cautioned what is at risk under the Trump administration.
“We must oppose fascism in the current administration on every level,” Cohen said. “We must realize that the rhetoric and crazy speeches by Trump are just the tip of the iceberg. The damage that is being done to the infrastructure that benefits people, not corporations, is immense.”
Cohen pointed out some of the risks to people, businesses and organizations under the actions of the Trump administration, like the closure of Social Security offices and layoffs of Social Security staff impacting seniors receiving their checks. A remedy to the actions of the Trump administration that Cohen suggests is “organize, organize, organize.”
“We must work with people that we don’t agree with on everything. We must create organizations and forums to defend ourselves,” he added.
The impact of organizing was highlighted by Baystate Franklin nurse Caroline Miklovich, who serves on the MNA Bargaining Committee, and Danielle Peck, who spoke to the ongoing contract negotiations between Baystate Franklin nurses and Baystate Health that Peck said have made some headway after a temporary strike was authorized.
“We have seen some movement in our negotiations, and we believe a fair contract is within reach, but we are holding strong,” Peck said to cheers from the crowd. “This movement is built on solidarity among nurses and our community.”
Generational impact
While other protests in the past have leaned on the older side, teenagers and young adults were out in large numbers today, with students from Four Rivers leading the charge.
“I want to be here to represent a sort of hidden population of young people that are the future of this country,” Four Rivers junior Bowie Solodky said to the rallygoers, who at the end of their speech got large cheers from the crowd. “I think young people becoming politically active is one of the most incredibly important things in politics.”
Before arriving to the Greenfield Common, students began their trek along Colrain Road with signs in hand and soaring chants. The Greenfield Police Department helped manage traffic for the marchers to cross the roads safely on their way downtown.
This student-led demonstration was spearheaded by students involved in the Political Action Club, and leading the group along Colrain Road was Solodky and juniors Hendrick Carew and Juna Gradick.
When asked what it means to them to be protesting during this national May Day action, Gradick said students are just as much a part of and aware of what is happening within the federal government as adults.
“We all have issues with how our government is running right now, and we want to take action in any way we can,” Gradick said.
When it comes to how they want to be supported by their elected officials and government in their future, Gradick flatly said they just want there to be a future. For Carew, he wants there to be constitutional freedoms still in place, not only for his generation, but for the many still to come.
“I want a future where I can have the freedoms of speech and press,” he said, “and I think it’s important for not just us, but also all the people who are younger than us and are still yet to be born.”
