Hundreds March For May Day

Hundreds turned out to rally Tuesday for Chicago’s annual May Day march, also known as International Workers Day. The day has deep roots in Chicago. Workers in the late 19th century—many of them immigrants—built a movement demanding an eight-hour workday, better working conditions, and changes in the larger political and economic structure of the country at the time which was rampant with racism, the brutal repression of workers, and income inequality. May Day marks a large general strike in Chicago which led to the Haymarket bombing, which resulted in the execution of anarchists and labor organizers tried in a kangaroo court. “I’m here fighting for my family, my kids,” said Teresa Cervantes, a single mother who’s worked at McDonald’s for decades. “My life hasn’t been easy, but I’m here standing today because we deserve to have decent wages and I’ll be here until we win…All workers, all immigrants, all of us deserve respect and dignity.” Demonstrators first gathered at the Haymarket memorial statue before marching downtown for a rally at the Thompson Center, which was then followed by a march to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office. (Visu.News)