Courtney Luciana photo
Nora Garcia Flores honored with on the banner.
Hundreds of social justice advocates turned out for a march and a rally on the Green Saturday to mark the annual celebration of International Workers Day, aka May Day.
Among the groups participating were immigrant rights advocates like Jordy Garcia. Other causes included healthcare for all.
“My mom was working as a cleaner at Yale hospital,” Jordy Garcia told the crowd. “Because she didn’t have the paperwork and a social security number, the hospital didn’t want to give her the vaccine. She got sick during the pandemic and died.”
Garcia (at far left in photo) lost his mother, Nora Garcia Flores, against her fatal battle against anti-immigration and anti-worker laws. Her experience was a striking example as to why the meaning behind May Day became even more significant this past year.
Chants of, “People United! We will never be defeated!” echoed down Chapel Street, across Broadway, and back towards the downtown Green. The march was organized and led by Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), Black and Brown United in Action, and Hamden Action. The rally went up Chapel Street, across Broadway, and back towards the Green.
ULA organizer Nayeli Garcia, who moved to the U.S. from Mexico with her family nine years ago, called on President Biden and U.S. Congress to treat essential workers as a priority by recovering a path to citizenship.
“They say that we are the essential people, but they don’t give us any help,” Garcia said. “We came here with dreams. We came here hoping that we would have a better life. We left everything including our family and friends. We came here with nothing.”
Max Cisneros, Latinx program officer at the New Haven Pride Center, shared his personal story of being infected with HIV in 2012 while undocumented. Cisneros said that he didn’t have a social security number and couldn’t access medical services.
“I was too afraid to go and get it because I thought they would deport me. My story is not that different from many of the immigrants that are here. We are not illegal. Humans can not be illegal,” Cisneros said.
“This year we have a new government, and they promised to pass the immigration reform, so I think it’s great the people are willing to march today,” said ULA founder John Lugo (at foreground in above photo). “We have a large population here, so I hope the city can do more for our community. But the problem with the city is that they don’t have any money.”
Lugo and Coordinator of Black and Brown United, Catherine John led the crowd oon Broadway to call out Yale for not investing nore in the city.
Marchers protesting on Yale University campus.
Mayor Justin Elicker said the march underscored the work that needs to be done as a state to ensure workers have fundamental support to live and productive live.
“Today is to celebrate workers and to elevate the important work that I think we all need to do in the state to ensure that workers have the support they need,” Elicker said, “Including living wage, access to health care, and adequate sick leave.”
ULA community organizer Rosalba Montoya said she moved from Colombia to the U.S. a year ago. Montoya said that she is scared to not have access to health care, especially during a pandemic.
“It’s difficult here,” Montoya said. “I don’t have health care. No, nothing. I’m scared.”
Maria Bonilla (pictured) said that she was happy to see more people from her community demand a change in the system. Bonilla said that she witnessed people she grew up with and went to school with in the area impacted by their immigration status.
“They were undocumented. I didn’t get to see them do what they want to do with their lives,” Bonilla said, “That makes me upset because I believe that everybody that comes here deserves a better life. A better career. A real living.”
The gasoline industry says they don't have enough tanker truck drivers so we may have some gas shortages across the country at certain locations.
The agricultural business says they don't have enough workers to farm and process and transport food so we have some food shortages and higher prices (currently chicken is a big one.)
Restaurants and bars and tourism related businesses are struggling to find workers as the US relaxes pandemic restrictions and people are returning to normal activities.
The US population is at its slowest rate of growth since the 1930's, and is growing older. We are going to need younger workers in healthcare, elder care, and other industries, and to pay into Social Security. We need workers who are vaccinated to do all the jobs that are going unfilled. We need to support public healthcare and childcare and sick leave so that people don't come to work sick, so people don't continue to pass around diseases, and so that people can work uninterrupted by the lack of good childcare, or the need to take care of oneself or your loved ones if they get sick. It's good for the economy and it's good for our public health and it's good for society to have access to quality healthcare, childcare and other social support services to keep things running smoothly in our country. Other countries in the world manage to successfully provide these services and we should as well.