C-U May Day Solidarity Celebration

On Saturday, April 28, a May Day Solidarity Celebration was held at the IMC as a benefit
for the Central Illinois Jobs with Justice Campaign. Also benefitting from the celebration
were striking Steinway workers who had come over from Indiana to explain their struggle.
There was food, drink, and a brief lecture by labor historian Jim Barrett on the worldwide
significance of May Day as a symbol of the struggle for the 8 hour day and the right
to organize unions. Mike Griffin came over from Decatur to talk about the effects of
scabs, people who take the jobs of others who are striking or locked out during a labor
dispute. Anne Feeney, a nationally renowned labor singer and song-writer, Paul
Kotheimer, our own fantastic local song-writer and singer, and a number of other bands
provided the music.
The combination of feelings of solidarity, great music, poetry, and the lecture on the
significance of May Day which is so poorly known in our own country where the incident
that sparked world-wide recognition of it as a Labor Day took place, are leading
many to believe that this should be a yearly event.
On this Page are some photographs of the event.