There is no time better than now! From the office worker in a business suit to the construction worker in coveralls, no one has been left untouched. Corporate greed permeates every aspect of our lives as workers are laid off without benefits and left to fight to save their homes from foreclosure. While the city becomes a destination for the suburban middle class, protections for lower income residents are virtually non existent. Urban planners are heralded for ushering new life, income and opportunities into the area, but they also inadvertently pave the way for gentrification and the displacement of those who depend on the proximity of jobs and public transportation to survive. Developers left unchecked by city government are threatening Public Housing residents with the prospect of becoming homeless. All the while, institutional racism continues to permeate our culture, with hate groups on the rise in both membership and influence. And despite the popular movement demanding health care for all, the decision has been handed over to the insurance companies.

The economy has reached an all time low and workers are left to fend for themselves with few solutions. Immigrant and migrant workers continue to be scapegoated drawing attention away from the role of corporations and the destabilizing effects of free trade agreements. Recognizing our similarities rather than differences, we are united around the core principle that we must link arms and fight back in the spirit of those that came before us in a true display of solidarity.

This May Day we wish to demonstrate the presence of a labor movement in Richmond that is ready to fight against the multitude of injustices in our communities. We wish to unite individuals, faith based groups, unions, students, teachers and progressive organizations who will stand in solidarity with one another, for economic & social justice, freedom, and equality! And overall, we wish to better define the overlapping issue of capitalism that exists at the root of all our working class woes.