With the growth of the human rights movement and the emergence of Occupy Wall Street and associated Occupy groups across the country, this year’s May Day takes on deep significance for a newly energized dialogue about inequality and human rights. May Day 2012 involves hundreds of groups and thousands of community leaders—including NESRI’s partners and allies, who are rallying to build support for the rights to housing, work with dignity, and economic and social rights.

 

May Day Solidarity Coalition Rally – New York City, 4:00 PM at Union Square

May Day events across New York City will culminate in a rally at Union Square. The May Day Solidarity Coalition is endorsed by over 100 groups, including NESRI ally Community/Farmworker Alliance-New York. 

 

A Human Right to Housing:

Take Back the Land and Organizing for Occupation at Free University: New York City, Madison Square Park, 10:00-3:00

A coalition of New York City college students and faculty are holding an “education strike” to withdraw their labor from an increasingly exploitative educational system and enact a new vision of education. During a five hour collective educational experiment, the Free University will hold 40 workshops, classes, and collective experiences. Take Back the Land Movement and members of Organizing for Occupation will talk about the work to elevate a human right to housing.

 
Organizing for Occupation – NYC Documentary Screening: New York City, 7:30PM

Join filmmaker Peter Kinoy, housing organizer Frank Morales, Sebastian Gutierrez and additional Organizing for Occupation supporters to watch and discuss "Takeover," a documentary that records the first national coordinated homeless housing takeover in 1990.

 

A Human Right to Work With Dignity

Community / Farmworker Alliance NYC Immigrant Worker Justice Tour

Join CFA in the southeast corner of Bryant Park at 10:30 am to take a tour that targets corporations that abuse immigrant workers. Chipotle, which still refuses to sign on to the Fair Food Agreement, will be one of the stops on the tour.

 

Economic and Social Rights

Occupy Baltimore’s May Day Rally for the 99%

Occupy Baltimore is uniting for better development, good jobs and immigration reform and against privatization, austerity, homelessness and institutional racism. Today's marches are supported by NESRI’s partner, the United Workers.

 

Vermont Workers’ Center’s “Put People First” Rally: Montpelier, Vermont

For its fifth consecutive May First Rally, Vermont Workers Center will gather at Montpelier City Hall and march to the State House for a rally that connects people’s struggles for universal healthcare, education, housing, childcare, workers' rights, women's rights, disability rights, migrant justice and a healthy environment. The rally features Senator Bernie Sanders, Bill McKibben of 350, Shela Linton of the Put People First Campaign and other speakers.

Vermont Workers’ Center has used May Day rallies to galvanize support for human rights since 2008, when it launched the Health Care Is a Human Right Campaign. Since then, over 1,000 people have attended its May Day marches each year, culminating in the May 26, 2011 signing of a bill that set Vermont on its way to implementing a universal, publicly-financed health care system.