May Day
Today is May Day. May first is also referred to by some as International Workers’ Day. May 1 has long been recognized as a day to celebrate the struggles of the working class and oppressed peoples. On May 1, 1886, hundreds of thousands of workers in the United States walked out on strike for the eight-hour day. Eight organizers in Chicago, six of whom were immigrants, were later charged for alledgedly killing a policeman. Four of the six persons accused of killing the police officer were hanged.
The international workers movement adopted May 1 as a day of struggle and it is widely celebrated around the world. In honor of May Day, an editorial piece on struggles that have occurred and continue to take place in this nation’s social, political, and economic spheres appears in the online newspaper, Fight Back! News. The editorial piece is entitled, “May Day 2011: Stand up for equality, freedom and peace! Long live the fighting spirit of the Wisconsin working class!”. It was written by Freedom Road Socialist Organization on April 28, 2011.
The editors of Fight Back! News encourages its readers to distribute an editorial by Freedom Road Socialist Organization at May 1, 2011 activities. To read that editorial, visit the Fight Back! News website.
In recognition of International Workers’ Day, We Are One activities are taking place across the country on May 1, 2011. For information about May Day events in your area, you can visit the http://www.local.we-r-1.org.
Source(s): Fight Back News. Wikipedia.
Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art.
Jewish Heritage Month
“On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month. The announcement was the crowning achievement in an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders that resulted in resolutions introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania urging the president to proclaim a month that would recognize the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. The resolutions passed unanimously, first in the House of Representatives in December 2005 and later in the Senate in February 2006.
The month of May was chosen due to the highly successful celebration of the 350th Anniversary of American Jewish History in May 2004, which was organized by the Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. This coalition was composed of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, the American Jewish Historical Society, the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.
Leading the way in implementation of the annual celebration is the Jewish American Heritage Month Coalition, formed in March 2007 and convened by United Jewish Communities, the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and the American Jewish Historical Society.”
For further information about this month, visit the websites for the organizations listed in the source section or the Jewish Heritage Month website.
Sources: The Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Jewish Heritage Month website, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Photocredit: Microsoft Clip Art
