Portland May Day Coalition
1131 SE Oak St. Portland, OR 97214
(503) 233-6787
Dear Coalition Members and Supporters,
Spring is upon us, which means May 1st, International Worker's Day, is fast approaching. In celebration and continuation of the historical struggle for workers' and immigrant rights, we take this opportunity to renew solidarity among our organizations towards our common goal of economic and social justice. This is the tenth anniversary of our May Day celebrations.
Today is a critical moment in the struggle for immigrant and workers' rights. Today – more than ever – we need your help.
Corporate interests have used the economic crisis as an excuse to cut social programs, attack unions, and turn a blind eye to the rising hunger and unemployment that have hit our communities. May Day is an opportunity for grassroots community organizations, labor unions, faith communities, and individuals to join forces in raising awareness about these problems and celebrating our many efforts towards a better society.
But we need your help to make this march happen. Our coalition relies solely on the official endorsement and financial support of our member organizations and allies. We are asking all organizations for a donation of $200 in order to cover the costs of this march: printing flyers, running ads on the radios and television, obtaining march permits, sound system, door-to-door campaigns, etc. Anything that you can give is much appreciated. Your contribution at this crucial stage will make a real difference!
Please make checks payable to: VOZ(with “May Day March” in the memo section) and mail to 1131 SE Oak St. Portland, OR 97214.
In addition, we can always use more hands and minds in the organizing effort. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 6:30pm at the Voz office in SE Portland and have several working groups such as Outreach and Media that would be thankful for your expertise.
Thank you for your support and solidarity,
Portland May Day Coalition
For more information
Email: maydayoutreach@googlegroups.com
Or contact the VOZ Workers' Rights Education Project
romeo@portlandvoz.org, www.portlandvoz.org
The Portland May Day Coalition is made up of grassroots community organizations, labor unions, faith communities, and individuals. We formed in conjunction with the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) and Jobs with Justice (JwJ) in order to organize our communities in solidarity against the grave injustices we’ve experienced this year as a city and nation - particularly in regards to workers’ rights. The PIRC formed in 2006 in order to organize against the Sensenbrenner bill (HR 4437) - one of the most anti-immigrant proposals in the history of the United States – and succeeded in rallying a historic 40,000 participants in that year’s May Day march. The Coalition has since worked to protect the rights of immigrants through ongoing campaigns that focus on implementing a citywide raid response program, engaging faith communities in providing sanctuary to immigrants facing deportation, and educating the broader community on virulent policies unfairly targeting immigrants. Established nationally in 1987, JwJ works locally to protect the rights of working people to organize and to support community struggles in order to build a more just society.
May Day, also known as International Workers Day, is a celebration of the economic and social achievements of working people. Since 2001, Portland’s labor communities have revived the tradition locally and, together in 2006, witnessed tens of thousands of immigrants and activists taking to the streets in solidarity to demand fair treatment and equality.
