[Antiracism] [Workers' Rights] PRESS RELEASE May Day 2007

[WMass Jobs With Justice]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Contact: Jon Weissman, 827-0301, wmjwj at wmjwj.org

[Two other May 1 events are listed below the press release.]
            
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL LABOR DAY
 
	On Thursday, May 1, the Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice
Coalition presents a special program of songs and dramatic readings to
celebrate International Labor Day.  The program is 7 to 9 PM (doors open
6:30), at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Northampton & Florence, 220
Main St, Northampton.

	The program is an inspirational collage of working class history
with an emphasis on Western Massachusetts connections.  For the third year
in a row, local political and social justice activists and actors and
singers will give voice to people and songs in the history of working class
struggles, especially with Western Massachusetts connections.  

	Tax-deductible donations of $5, $10, and $100 (sponsorship; two free
admissions) will be requested for the event, which is a fundraiser for Jobs
with Justice, a coalition for workers’ rights, but no one will be turned
away for lack of funds.  Tickets will be sold at the door and may be
reserved by calling (413) 827-0201 or emailing wmjwj at wmjwj.org.
            	
	Directed by Irene Thornton, the readers and singers include: 

	Andrea Ayvazian, Anne Harrison, Ben Swan, Ellen Reich, Erika Arthur,
Gary Sroka, Irene Thornton, Jane Morrissey, Jay Mankita, Jed Mills, John
Fitzgerald, José Ayerve, Kat Allen, Lillian Santiago, Naomi Miller, Orlando
Isaza, Peter Vickery, Reynolds Winslow, Rick Fantasia, Sean Landers, Tom
Neilson, Tom Weiner, Yvette Sirker, and the Raging Grannies.

	The script, researched and prepared by local historians and
activists, was inspired by the work of Howard Zinn, especially his books, A
People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of
the United States.  It includes:

	W. E. B. Du Bois, a Knights of Labor Member, Peter McGuire, Albert
Parsons, Dyer Lum, August Spies, Edward Bellamy, Tom Mooney, Big Bill
Haywood, Mother Jones, Lucy Parsons, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Emma Goldman,
Eugene Debs, Luisa Capetillo, Ludlow Mills Striker, Frances Perkins, Anna
Sullivan, Sam and Peggy Freedman, Paul Robeson, Earl Robinson, African
American Plaintiffs, a Mother on AFDC, Cesar Chavez, a Local Farm Worker, a
Local Personal Care Attendant, and a Striking Writer.  Many have a Western
Massachusetts connection.

	Jobs with Justice (www.jwj.org) is a nationwide coalition founded in
1987 to improve working people’s standard of living, fight for job security,
and protect workers’ right to organize.  In order to be successful, workers’
rights struggles must be part of a larger campaign for economic and social
justice.  To that end, JwJ has created a national network of local
coalitions that connect labor, faith-based, community, and student
organizations.  Western Mass “J with J” – founded June 5, 1993 – is a
coalition of 58 such organizations.  

									-30-

Note other local International Labor Day events:

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS MAY DAY RALLY ~ Immigrant Rights Are Human Rights ~ An
Injustice To One Is An Injustice To All
	Noon-2pm, Amherst North Common (in case of inclement weather, the
rally will be held at Grace Church Parish Hall). Organized by Western Mass
Coalition for Immigrant and Worker Rights (WMCIWR), a group of organizations
and community members who advocate, educate, organize, and mobilize to
protect the Human, Civil, and Constitutional Rights of all workers and
residents in our communities. Co-sponsored by Artists for Justice, SAGE,
Western Mass. Jobs With Justice, Western Mass. AFSC, Greensboro Justice
Fund, Western Mass. Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice, and Western
Mass. CopWatch. The event features local guest speakers, poetry and musical
performances, and opportunities for the public speak out against injustice.
Info: wmciwr at gmail.com, http://wmciwr.blogspot.com.

MEMORIAL FOR DYER LUM
	5:30-6pm, Bridge Street Cemetery, outside of Bridge Street School,
Route 9, Northampton. A brief remembrance of Dyer Lum, a Northampton
resident and printer who was a local abolitionist, Civil War veteran, labor
activist, anarchist, poet, and radical agitator. He helped lead efforts to
free Albert Parsons and the other martyrs of the Haymarket affair. Lum died
in 1893 and is buried in the Bridge Street cemetery. Info:
revoltairine at riseup.net.


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[Workers' Rights] posts opportunities for you to learn about and show
solidarity with workplace and working class struggles. And these events are
opportunities for JwJ members to fulfill their pledge: "I'll be there for
workers' rights at least five times a year!" This is the core mission of
Jobs with Justice, affirming that workers' rights are human rights. To
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Western Mass Jobs with Justice
640 Page Blvd #101
Springfield MA 01104
(413) 827-0301