May Day Speech
So I have been invited to speak to the students at their May 1st rally about the history of May Day. It's going to be in the high school auditorium. I'm really excited. Here's my speech so far. It runs at about 4 minutes. I'd love people's feedback, particularly in ways I might be able to make it more interesting for youth. I want to stay away from sounding like a boring history professor.
thanks,
Clay
May 1st
I’m here today to tell you that you are not alone. As I speak, thousands, possibly millions are standing up for the rights and dignity of all people, regardless of legal status. On this day, May 1st, people from all over the country and even the world are participating in strikes, boycotts, walk-outs, marches and rallies. To the West thousands of dockworkers have left ports along California at a standstill, to the East workers in Boston, New York, Providence and other cities along the coast are taking work off to march in the streets, to the south people on both sides of the border are rallying to speak out against the sweatshops in border towns such as Juarez and Tijuana, and even to the North we see people taking action- students in Missoula Montana are participating in a walk-out and May Day festival. These are just a few of the countless actions people are taking all across the world on this day to make our voices heard.
We’re also not the first people to stand up for our own rights and the rights of others on this day On May 1st of 1886, exactly 120 years ago people across this country, many of them immigrants, went on a general strike, similar to what has been called upon this year. Just as you are today and just as people all across the states are doing right now- people left their work, their homes and their schools to march in the streets to protest their abysmal working conditions and to win the eight hour day. The historic participation of citizens all over this country finally forced the government to concede and promised all workers an eight hour day, a cornerstone of life in this country now.
On that day, Chicago saw one of the largest protests in the country with 400,000 people coming out. During these days some of the key organizers of the strikes and rallies were the Anarchists. Now, this label may be one of the most misunderstood words in our language. Forget chaos, forget circle bombs, Vinn Diesel and hollywod, the anarchist cookbook or other visions of sinister men in trench coats. The anarchists then and anarchists now aren’t working towards chaos or destruction, quite the opposite- they hold the simple belief that people themselves no best how to run their lives and should be the ones doing so. The Anarchists in Chicago believed this and their belief in equality and freedom for all people lead them to help fight for worker rights and the 8 hour day. Eight of these anarchists were arrested for a bomb thrown into a crowd of protesters and police. Despite the fact that there was no evidence linking them to the attack and that several of the anarchists weren’t even there- Five were sentenced to death, the other three receiving life in prison. Five of the eight were German immigrants.
News quickly spread worldwide of the events and there was international outcry of the obvious unfair trial. People understood that these men were guilty only of being anarchists and being immigrants, of fighting for the rights of people. Still, the five were hanged. Eventually the other three were released because of the extreme lack of evidence against them. The other five executed men were eventually forgiven by the courts years later, but it was obviously too late.
The incredible outpouring of people on May 1st and the martyrdom of the Chicago anarchists lead people to declare May 1st International Worker’s Day also known as May Day or Labor Day. Ironically, countries all around the world still celebrate Labor Day on May 1st ,while most of us in the US have never heard of this incredible story from our history or celebrate the holiday.
Amazingly, this year there is a resurgence and as you fight for justice remember those who have come before you. Remember the people who filled the streets over 100 years ago to secure the rights we now have. Remember the anarchists and immigrants who died at the hands of the government for fighting for the equality and freedom of all people as well as for the thousands of other workers and immigrants who have died in this country to make it a better place. At the gallows the day those five men were hanged, one of them, a German immigrant by the name of August Spies shouted out: "There will be a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today!" Let’s carry the power of their silence with us on this day, May 1st.
thanks,
Clay
May 1st
I’m here today to tell you that you are not alone. As I speak, thousands, possibly millions are standing up for the rights and dignity of all people, regardless of legal status. On this day, May 1st, people from all over the country and even the world are participating in strikes, boycotts, walk-outs, marches and rallies. To the West thousands of dockworkers have left ports along California at a standstill, to the East workers in Boston, New York, Providence and other cities along the coast are taking work off to march in the streets, to the south people on both sides of the border are rallying to speak out against the sweatshops in border towns such as Juarez and Tijuana, and even to the North we see people taking action- students in Missoula Montana are participating in a walk-out and May Day festival. These are just a few of the countless actions people are taking all across the world on this day to make our voices heard.
We’re also not the first people to stand up for our own rights and the rights of others on this day On May 1st of 1886, exactly 120 years ago people across this country, many of them immigrants, went on a general strike, similar to what has been called upon this year. Just as you are today and just as people all across the states are doing right now- people left their work, their homes and their schools to march in the streets to protest their abysmal working conditions and to win the eight hour day. The historic participation of citizens all over this country finally forced the government to concede and promised all workers an eight hour day, a cornerstone of life in this country now.
On that day, Chicago saw one of the largest protests in the country with 400,000 people coming out. During these days some of the key organizers of the strikes and rallies were the Anarchists. Now, this label may be one of the most misunderstood words in our language. Forget chaos, forget circle bombs, Vinn Diesel and hollywod, the anarchist cookbook or other visions of sinister men in trench coats. The anarchists then and anarchists now aren’t working towards chaos or destruction, quite the opposite- they hold the simple belief that people themselves no best how to run their lives and should be the ones doing so. The Anarchists in Chicago believed this and their belief in equality and freedom for all people lead them to help fight for worker rights and the 8 hour day. Eight of these anarchists were arrested for a bomb thrown into a crowd of protesters and police. Despite the fact that there was no evidence linking them to the attack and that several of the anarchists weren’t even there- Five were sentenced to death, the other three receiving life in prison. Five of the eight were German immigrants.
News quickly spread worldwide of the events and there was international outcry of the obvious unfair trial. People understood that these men were guilty only of being anarchists and being immigrants, of fighting for the rights of people. Still, the five were hanged. Eventually the other three were released because of the extreme lack of evidence against them. The other five executed men were eventually forgiven by the courts years later, but it was obviously too late.
The incredible outpouring of people on May 1st and the martyrdom of the Chicago anarchists lead people to declare May 1st International Worker’s Day also known as May Day or Labor Day. Ironically, countries all around the world still celebrate Labor Day on May 1st ,while most of us in the US have never heard of this incredible story from our history or celebrate the holiday.
Amazingly, this year there is a resurgence and as you fight for justice remember those who have come before you. Remember the people who filled the streets over 100 years ago to secure the rights we now have. Remember the anarchists and immigrants who died at the hands of the government for fighting for the equality and freedom of all people as well as for the thousands of other workers and immigrants who have died in this country to make it a better place. At the gallows the day those five men were hanged, one of them, a German immigrant by the name of August Spies shouted out: "There will be a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today!" Let’s carry the power of their silence with us on this day, May 1st.