DC May Day: Celebrations, Marches, Movies & Music
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
As millions of workers around the world
celebrate International Workers' Day today, here’s what’s happening in
DC.
Celebrate May Day at
the AFL-CIO: Area activists and allies are invited to join the AFL-CIO’s
May Day celebration (link) on Wednesday, May 1st from 6-8pm. “We are proud to
stand together on May Day with our allies in the immigrant rights community,
faith groups and other community partners to bring 11 million aspiring Americans
out of the shadows,” says Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams.
This May Day gathering is part of the AFL-CIO’s nationwide campaign
to
mobilize for common-sense
immigration reform and worker right and will feature
remarks from AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President Arlene
Holt Baker and immigrant rights leader Gaby Pacheco. Appetizers and refreshments will be
served.
May Day March: The Occupy DC May Day Committee is organizing a May Day March on Wednesday starting at 5p in Malcolm X Park with speeches and then marching down to the White House.
First Global Labor Film Festival Launches on May Day: The first-ever Global Labor Film Festival kicks off on May Day, as screenings from the U.S., Australia, England, Israel, Norway and Turkey launch more than a dozen screenings of labor films around the world. Locally, the DC Labor FilmFest will screen The War on Whistleblowers next Monday, May 6. First conceived at the second annual International Conference of Labor Film Festival Organizers at the 2012 DC Labor FilmFest, “the Global Labor Film Festival is an opportunity to showcase the growing worldwide scope of more than two dozen film festivals focused on films about work, workers and their issues,” says DC Labor FilmFest Director Chris Garlock. Labor film festivals around the globe will screen a labor-themed film of their choice during the month of May, chosen because May 1 -- International Workers' Day -- is a national holiday in more than 80 countries and celebrated unofficially in many other countries. Sixteen of the two dozen labor film festivals are participating in the GLFF, screening a wide range of films from classics such as "Salt of the Earth" and "Reds," to brand-new films like "Dreamwork China," "Harvest of Empire" and "The War on Whistleblowers"; nearly 50 films in all.
Music to March By and To Fight With: “People need work music,” wrote Woody Guthrie. “People need music to march by and to fight with…” That’s the kind of
music you’ll hear at the DC Labor Chorus’ upcoming
Spring Concert on Saturday,
May
4. A group of LOCAL union activists “who know the meaning of
sticking
together,” the Chorus
does its best “to inspire others through song,” says