MayDay March on Lake Street: Photo Gallery and Montage
We created a two-minute montage of the MayDay labor march on Lake Street in Minneapolis on May 1. To linger longer with images from Sarah Whiting, those are also in the photo gallery below. (More to come from us on labor in the coming weeks.)
“On behalf of more than 300,000 members of the Minnesota AFL-CIO–affiliated unions, Happy International Workers Day, which is about solidarity for all working people, no matter where we come from, where we live, what we look like, or what we do for a living. Solidarity means that we recognize that working people and families have more in common with one another than we will ever have with some billionaire. It means that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. It means everyone is doing their part to keep one another safe.
“They thought we would let them kidnap people off the streets, in their homes, and on the job site. Neighbors, teachers, friends, co-workers, and union siblings stepped up for one another in one of the largest demonstrations of solidarity in our nation’s history. We made sure our neighbors had enough food and other essentials. We made sure kids made it to school. We made sure that ICE crimes were documented, because we will have justice.
“Mass deportations are still happening, both in Minnesota and all across the country. Billionaires and the politicians they own are still trying to divide working people. Our most powerful weapon is solidarity. People everywhere are inspired every day, whether it’s in Minnesota, Florida, Montana, or Mexico. Working people are joining together peacefully to fight for each other and to stand up to wealthy bosses and powerful politicians. No matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it gets, I believe that working people around the world will topple corporate greed and rewrite the rules.”
— Bernie Burnham, AFL-CIO
“Borders did not exist. Our people, as Indigenous people, have been migrating since the beginning of time. Migration is our right. We did not cross these borders. These borders crossed us. That violence came here. They will say that we’re violent, when in fact, they’re the violent ones. They’re the ones that build pipelines. They’re the ones that tear up the Earth. They’re the ones that steal our women, our children, our neighbors. They’re the ones that forced us on the reservation. They’re the ones that keep the money and keep the power.
“But the real power is with the people. The real power is our connection as Indigenous people to the earth and to our culture and to our ceremonies. As we speak right now, Lakota youth are leading a non-violent occupation in the Black Hills. People, there is a resistance rising in the bloods and in the hearts and in the spirits of our people across the country and across the world. We must all unite in our collective power, because that power is the only thing that can stop them. That’s why they hide and do their covert operations now, because they’re scared of the power of our people. We must unite, not just as Indigenous people of North and South America, but as all people, all races, all colors — as human beings — to do the right thing.”
— Rachel Dionne-Thunder, Indigenous Protector Movement
“I started talking to managers about the ’86 ICE’ demands in January, in the height of the federal occupation. I work both in front and back of house, and it was apparent to me that management wasn’t doing enough to protect us. I didn’t feel safe or prepared in the case of an ICE raid. It was just me raising this to management, and I was met with a very dismissive and restrictive response. That is why I decided to organize my coworkers around the 86 ICE petition, and to lay out basic measures that restaurant management and owners can take to ensure all staff and customers feel safe. We faced very textbook organization-busting tactics, such as being pulled into one-on-one write-ups. But through our persistence and collective action, we were able to make our voices heard and get a foot in the door. Organizing works stronger together. Getting together with your coworkers, and planning how you can make your workplace a safe space for all is worth it.”
— Isabella, 86 ICE
“This is the Workers Day, the immigrant workers day — the only holiday in the world that belongs to us, not to a flag, not to a king, not to a boss, but to us. In Chicago 1886, workers walked off the job demanding an eight-hour-day: eight hours to work, eight hours to rest, eight hours for what they called our own. The bosses sent in the police. The police killed the strikers. The state hanged organizers. Then this country tried to scrub the day off the calendar and pretend it had never happened. Say shame to that.
We remember too, in 2006, millions of immigrant workers in this country walked off the job on May 1 and shut this economy down in a single afternoon. We did not ask for permission. We did not file a permit. We just stopped. And the country stopped with us, because we are the ones who keep running it. Look around you. Every meal you ate this week was touched by an immigrant. Every hotel room cleaned. Every package delivered. Every grandmother bathed every baby born in a hospital. We are the alarm clock this country wakes up to, and they have the nerve to call us a problem.
I came here from the Philippines. I send money home to my family, and I’ve been doing that since I was 14 years old. There are millions of us doing that. Filipina nurses, Somali drivers, Mexican farm workers, Salvadorian cooks. A lot of us work two or three jobs to feed three families. That is not weakness. That is the spine of the global economy, and they know it. We are not waiting for permission. We are organizing. We are showing up. We are not stopping until this state is what it claims to be.”
— Manuel, MIRAC
“What you can do is shop local.
Show up to protest with those who are standing up for people’s working rights.
Stand up for yourselves and make sure you are being heard and represented, no matter where you work or who you work for.
Form unions. If you can form a union within any corporation, that ensures that you have a seat at the table.
Everybody should have a seat at the table and make sure that their best interests are in the minds of the people that they work for.”
— Myrka Zambrano, MIRAC
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For 2025 coverage, Minnesota Women’s Press earned a community leadership award, three photography awards, and four editorial awards, including for coverage of social issues and for our Spring 2025 “Know Your Rights” special section supported by Unidos MN. Our publisher was named Journalist of the Year by Violence Free Minnesota for gender-based violence coverage.
