May Day Brings Hope for Immigration Reform

By Azalia Rosas

May Day is also known as International Workers’ Day. A national holiday many other countries, it actually originated in the United States in 1886 when over 300,000 workers walked out of 13,000 businesses across the country to vie for the 8-hour work day and safer working conditions, and ultimately, initiate May Day history. On May 3rd--two days after 40,000 “8-hour day agitators” went on strike in Chicago--violence struck at the McCormick Reaper Works company where picketing steelworkers were harassed and even beaten by police and armed private detectives for over 6 months. A public meeting was called in Haymarket Square the day after a speech at the same plant resulted in two dead and multiple wounded strikers.

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