Labor activists in Savannah are organizing a May 1 protest encouraging community members to step away from work, school, and shopping for a day as part of a broader national demonstration tied to International Workers’ Day.
Organizers are calling on residents to close businesses, skip school, and avoid shopping as a visible show of solidarity action.
Why Call for Protest?
May Day Savannah organizers say the protest is a response to what they describe as increased pressure on immigrant communities and economic instability facing working people in a system that “puts profit over people.”
Lauren Nowak is an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, one of the groups organizing this year’s May Day strike. She told The Daily Signal, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are used to terrorize communities, divide workers, and suppress organizing efforts.”
“Working-class people are being forced to pay for crises they did not create, and that contradiction is pushing more people toward struggle,” Nowak said.
What Is May Day?
May Day is the informal name for International Workers’ Day, which began in 1889 as an annual observance tied to labor activism. It was established at an international workers’ congress in Paris with the help of labor, socialist, and Marxist parties. The day historically called for ending seven-day workweeks and securing eight-hour workdays.
Nowak said this holiday “has always been about the power of the working class to challenge exploitation,” adding that its legacy is especially relevant today amid rising costs and deepening inequality.
However, what began as a movement focused on workers’ rights and safety has evolved over time into a pageant for socialism and communism.
Nicole Huyer, senior research associate in the Heritage Foundation’s Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, said May Day, which once emphasized worker dignity and safe conditions, “has transitioned into an ideologically left-wing movement that no longer fights for workers—it just creates disruptions.”
Economic and Community Impact
Businesses are invited to participate by closing for the day, reducing business hours, posting May Day window signs, and sharing public statements on social media.
Nowak said the goal of the protest is “about building unity, raising consciousness, and taking steps toward a society where the working class holds power.”
Huyer said that instead of promoting class division, the focus should be on “policies that reward work and protect American families and interests [that] will incentivize long-lasting productivity gains reflected in future wages and the standard of living.”
She said it’s counterproductive to allow children to miss a day of education and for workers to lose a day’s wages. “We can do two things at once: ensure workers’ rights and safety and recognize that billionaires and large firms are invaluable job creators for the economy and society.”
