May Day in Madison: All ready for the rally

[Alex Gillis]

(Please forward widely)

Press Release: May Day in Madison: All ready for the rally

From: Immigrant Workers Union (IWU)

www.maydayinmadison.org

Madison, WI -- 04/24/09

More than 30 organizations will celebrate May 1st with a march that will take place next Friday, May 1st at 11am from Brittingham Park. The theme of the rally this year is “The March for the poor, immigrants & workers.” A broad coalition of organizations is calling for the community to come out and stick together for demands that affect us all, such as the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, the reversal of the bus fare increase, paid sick leave and the end of sheriff Mahoney’s collaboration with I.C.E.

This rally is part of the National Day of Action for Immigration Reform and International Workers' Day, which is celebrated around the world. This year’s rally also coincides with the first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency.  “It is the first year of Obama, and he has already announced that immigration reform will be discussed in the fall; now we need to be sure he is passing a progressive reform,” said Jorge Carrera, a member of the Immigrant Workers Union.

The event will start at Brittingham Park at 11am, to be followed by a march down West Washington Ave, stopping at Capitol Square near the State St. entrance. At the capitol, some speakers will address some of the State and Federal demands. The demonstration will then march to the Dane County building where the rest of the event will take place.

The rally will feature a number of local, national and international artists: Son Mudanza, a Chicano Son group that dedicates its efforts to activism through Son Jarocho music; Vicky Guzman, a well-known labor folk singer, former resident of Madison and currently living in Toronto; Luis Rodriguez, a poet, novelist and journalist and recognized as a major figure of contemporary Chicano literature; and the Madison chapter of Raging Grannies.

Various speakers will address the different demands for the rally, highlighting the current campaign against Sheriff Mahoney’s continued reporting of undocumented workers to I.C.E. and the recent bus fare increase by mayor Dave Cieslewicz at the local level, and the passage of Employee Free Choice Act, immigrant access to identification and drivers' licenses, and free university tuition for low-income students (including Dream Act passage) at the state and federal level. For a complete list of demands, please visit http://maydayinmadison.org/Demands

The organizations supporting up this rally are diverse and a good representation of the progressive movement in Madison; more than 30 organizations including 15 labor organizations, 8 student organizations, and 13 social movements, from peace to faith groups. For a complete list of endorsers please visit http://maydayinmadison.org/Endorsements

“This rally represents an effort toward building unity and raising our common concern with how the crisis is affecting workers and immigrants families while public money keeps flowing into the banks in the form of the bail out. It is time to come together as a progressive movement and start setting the tone in the struggle to improve our living conditions,” said Alex Gillis of the Immigrant Workers Union