May Day's History Of Protest
Portland, OR April 30, 2008 3:52 p.m.
Thursday is May Day and in Portland, as in other cities, anti-war marches, pro-immigrant rallies, and even a university education event are planned. Pete Springer reports on the history of May Day.
May Day dates back thousands of years, says Brian Kassof, a history and humanities professor at Reed College.
Brian Kassof: “There were a lot of pre-Christian rituals that were celebrated around May 1st which the church later co-opted largely into Easter. But during the end of the 19th century, the working class was trying to develop its own traditions -- its own holidays.”
The working class found its holiday on May 1st in 1886. That's when a bomb exploded in Chicago’s Haymarket Square during a rally to support striking workers.
The event became symbolic with workers worldwide. It went on to become a day when Soviets expressed opposition to capitalism.
Elsewhere, laborers began to treat the day as a working class holiday, especially in Europe and the U.S.
Organizers of May Day events in Portland this year say their message is to stop the war on working people -- at home and abroad.
© 2008 OPB
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