“The Students and Workers! United! Will never be defeated!,” chanted the youth on the streets. Every May 1st around the world is the widely celebrated International Worker’s Day. SEACA youth joined the march and spent several weeks preparing for May 1st.
From the daily struggle of migrants surviving in Los Angeles to their families working in the garment factories and restaurants, the youth spent time learning and reflecting about workers. In preparation for the march, the youth also got to learn about social justice street art and created their own stencil art posters and shirts to share messages of solidarity for the May 1st mobilization.
We started at the Chinatown Dragons and passed Olvera Street and Little Tokyo. En route, students were surprised looking up to seeing hands of deportees tapping on the narrow slit windows of the Metropolitan Deportation Center. Many were shocked since they regularly passed by the area walking or on the trains never knowing it was a deportation center. For many, it was their first experience to march and their first time to celebrate International Worker’s Day. Hopefully this wont be their last.
