Fort Lauderdale to march on May Day

Ft. Lauderdale, FL – On May 1, local workers, immigrants and union members will gather to demonstrate their support for immigrants, working people, and public education. Workers and activists will gather at Huizenga Plaza in Bubier Park in Fort Lauderdale at 5 p.m. and then march through the city. Organizers are calling this a family-friendly, permitted protest after which there will be musical performances and food.

The protest is being called on May Day, International Workers Day, a historic day that commemorates those workers in Chicago who were killed by police in 1886 striking for the eight-hour work day. Recently, May Day has been claimed by the immigrant rights movement as a day to demand immigrant justice and the end to mass deportations. This year, unions and immigrant rights groups across the country are uniting and will be taking action together, including the American Federation of Teachers, whose slogan for May Day is “Build Schools, Not Walls!”

The Fort Lauderdale protest is being organized by People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), SEIU-Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), Broward Teachers Union (BTU), and Women’s March Broward, among others. Their demands include; Make Broward a Sanctuary County; Implement a living wage in Broward County by implementing a $15 minimum wage; No more ICE in our county; No walls, no bans; and Stop the attacks on unions and working people.

The event was partially inspired by the widely successful national Day Without Immigrants in
February and will be one of hundreds of similar actions and marches taking place across the country.