Nearly 300 people gathered in Tacoma’s People’s Park for a May Day rally about worker’s and immigrant’s rights.

Teaming up with Centro Latino, America In Solidarity helped promote the rally that drew from the labor, immigrant and faith communities to point out that all workers have rights and that the proposed legislation in Congress to address the growing immigration problem severely limits worker’s and human rights of millions.

“Immigrant rights are about worker’s rights which are about human rights,” America In Solidarity president told the crowd. Other speakers included Tacoma City Council member (and AIS pledge-signee) Bill Evans, Centro Latino’s Executive Director Julio Quan, Associated Ministries’ David Alger and Pierce County Building Trades President Mark Martinez along with several students that led teach-ins at the area high schools.

The rally was quite a success considering the short planning period that led from a call to join dozens of other cities around the country that had similar events on May 1.

Later that evening, America In Solidarity then hosted its third annual May Day Celebration at the ILWU Hall in Fife, WA. Over a hundred people attended the free event which included a spaghetti dinner and speeches from (all AIS signees) Congressman Adam Smith and State Representatives Steve Conway and Tami Green. Spoken word artist Zeek Green and The Ragin’ Grannies both gave performances.

May Day has long been remembered as a worker’s holiday and this year was the 120th Anniversary of when over 300,000 workers across the country stopped work at factories to demand the eight-hour workday.