May Day March on International Workers’ Day!
May Day March by Resistencia en Accion NJ
Princeton, NJ.-By Paulo Almiron
For May Day, or International Workers’ Day, the community in Princeton, Resistencia en Accion NJ, and allies from 30 organizations marched and made demands for workers’ right and against ICE and genocide.
The event began at 6:00pm with a performance from Princeton University student mariachi group Los Tigres de Princeton, after which a round of speakers gave the introduction of the event and presented issues affecting immigrant neighborhoods, such as ICE presence and labor violations.
The march began at 6:40 and passed by Washington Road and Nassau Street at the beginning, and then switched to Hulfish Street and John Street to end at Community Park South, where artists Yeimy and Gabi the Artist played music for the community. Afterwards, members of the community shared testimonies that reflected on local issues.
“I’m a father of two girls and the main source of income for my family. Our work must always be respected. Let’s lose our fear and not let people keep stealing our wages,” said Felix, who through Resistencia was able to recover unpaid wages from a former landscaping contractor.
“We have rights, whether we have papers or not.” said Zoila, who shared about her ongoing wage theft case against Burger King franchisee Parade Enterprises LLC. “We cannot be silent, and we can raise our voices.”
Resistencia organizers also reflected on the march.
“This march was a solid and joyful demonstration. We successfully uplifted our demands and our people’s voices. It’s powerful to see that people came out to reclaim the real Labor Day, ” said Ana Paola, Executive Director of Resistencia en Accion.
“It was great to see our impacted community come out. We know we keep each other safe and we are not backing down. Politicians from both sides who try to put us down should know that these are our streets,” said Jenni Lopez, May Day coordinator.
