On May Day this year, also known as International Workers’ Day, protestors rallied in a rainy Central Park and sang about health care and politics. “It has gone on for far too long,” sang the crowd.
Organized by the Grinnell Organizing Collective, May Day, a day meant for celebrating the working class, took place on May 1. The protest joins hundreds of others around the world.
“We have power together, and we do have the power to make things change for the better. Anybody who’s ever worked an eight-hour work day knows this,” said Liz Rodrigues, humanities and digital scholarship librarian at Grinnell College and founding member of the Grinnell Organizing Collective.
Most protestors were town residents rather than Grinnell College students, and they represented a wide range of ages.
“I’m a former Republican who is no more, and just very concerned about the current situation, concerned for my children and my grandchildren, and not happy to see how things are going. Just wanted to make my voice heard,” said Barbara Briggs, 70, who stopped being a Republican after the Capitol Invasion on Jan. 6, 2021.
“I just want to support all of the things that the Grinnell Organizing Collective is doing, to let others know that they’re not alone in the community,” said Monique Shore `90, 57.
At first, the crowd sang, followed by a peaceful protest walk downtown and speeches by Missy Poush, 45, and Jordan Scheibel `10, 36, who spoke on organizing, solidarity and local activism.
