Roots of MayDay: Labor Movement
HOBT’s MayDay Parade, Ceremony, and Festival has always been rooted in two important traditional celebrations — the celebration of the “green root” of Earth’s green energy rising in spring, and the “red root” of human work energy rising from mind, heart, and hand.
The Labor Movement and Worker’s Rights continue to be a root that grounds the MayDay Celebration. MayDay is after all a labor movement holiday celebrating hard-fought victories and the ongoing movement for worker’s rights.
We see MayDay as an important moment and opportunity for movement building in our communities and neighborhoods in the continued fight for workers' rights and protections, health care and housing for all, and an end to the gentrification of our neighborhoods.
As we move into a new chapter in the life of the MayDay Celebration, we stay rooted in the legacy and ongoing work of the Labor Movement, always moving us closer towards a vision of economic and social justice, interweaving with Environmental Justice, Queer Community, and BIPOC Leadership.
Image Description: A red rectangle appears with white squiggles and a quote from Dolores Huerta in white text that reads "Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world." A black and white photo of Huerta shows her raising a fist, eyes squinting, mouth open. She has dark hair and wears a knit sweater.
At HOBT we have been asking “how do we live the spirit of MayDay year-round?” The image of the MayDay Celebration as a seed emerged: a tiny vessel full of power and potential waiting to burst forth.
We are tilling the soil, welcoming in pollinators, readying the compost, and planting the seed of MayDay with strong roots sprouting forth representing our deeply held values: green for Environmental Justice, red for the Labor Movement, purple for Queer Community and brown for BIPOC Leadership.
These roots inspire and guide all HOBT programming as we work to embody the values of MayDay in every aspect of our organization.