In Europe, millions will gather and place demands on the rich and powerful. In Moscow and the cities of the former socialist countries, workers will take to streets, condemning the disaster that capitalism has unleashed. In fields, villages and cites of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, those who yearn for a better way of life will assemble and assert their demands for freedom, justice and equality.

In some countries, it’s a crime to celebrate May Day. Working people observe it anyway, either outside of the eyes of the authorities or in battles with the police. Where our class, the working class, has sway over government, be it Cuba or Democratic Korea, May Day is a national holiday – a bitter past is condemned, solidarity with the worlds oppressed and exploited is reaffirmed, and there is a recommitment to building a society that is just, free and fair.

An American Holiday

May Day was born in the U.S.A. It began with the struggle of the Chicago working class in May of 1886. Workers there fought and died for the 8-hour day. That battle of heroes gave rise to the tradition of demonstrations, strikes and celebrations by working people around the globe.

During the depression years of the 1930’s, millions of workers rallied in U.S. cities on May 1 – to demand unemployment insurance and trade union rights, and in support of the gains made by workers in the Soviet Union. This scared the hell out of Wall Street and the White House, so they ranted and raved that May Day was ‘un-American.’

In truth, the tradition and practice of celebrating May Day as a workers’ day – a day of struggle, where our class looks forward to a better future – is something that the people of this country have every right to be proud of.

A Failed System

For the working people of this country, capitalism is a failure. It enriches a handful of billionaires at the expense of the many. Caring only about getting the highest rate of profit on their investments, the rich do not give a damn about our health care, our housing, our children’s education or those of us who are growing older. They are looting our pension funds, attacking our unions, forcing those of us who have jobs to work harder and have pushed millions into the unemployment lines.

America’s wealthy – its capitalists – are not the ‘beautiful people’ they think they are. They are parasites who inherited their money and live off of our labor. They know that the secret to staying rich is not hard work; it’s having other people work hard for you. To protect their power and privilege, they have a host of bought-and-paid-for politicians to do their bidding.

Most people think that most politicians of both parties are liars. And they are right to think that. We have politicians saying things like, ‘getting rid of public assistance is good for the poor’ or that the minimum wage is bad for working people or that our social security dollars should be handed over to the rip-off artists on Wall Street. Most states are facing huge budget deficits. So how do the politicians respond? From California to New York, lawmakers advocate balancing the budgets on the backs of poor and working people. Many politicians are going further; they want to cut taxes on the rich.

The judges who preside over U.S. courts are cut from the same cloth as the politicians, only they are more pompous. They took a loser like George Bush, made him president, and then they turn around and tell us everything is fair and just. Klansmen aren’t the only people in this country who wear long robes. The judges who wear them are, and will be, deciding on cases that affect affirmative action, reproductive rights and our democratic rights.

Our country has become one big jailhouse for the oppressed nationalities within U.S. borders. According to our rulers, racial profiling is fine – in the airports or on the streets of the cities. Racist discrimination is a fact of life. Death rows, packed with Black people, Latinos and poor people – many of them innocent – give lie to talk of 'justice for all.' Nations have a right to determine their own destinies. For the African-Americans and the Chicanos, self-determination is a right denied. So is the right for genuine equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders and others who face systematic discrimination and oppression at the hands of those in power. Black and Latino youth are targeted by military recruiters to be used as cannon fodder in imperialist wars and by police who harass, beat, and kill.

Evil Empire

The capitalists who run America have built an empire of exploitation that expands across the globe. They steal the land, labor and natural resources of others. The rich have the gall to say that the sons and daughters of working people should go fight and die for them – in Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia and the Philippines; and tomorrow in Syria, Iran or Korea.

In reality, working people here have no interest, material or otherwise, in supporting these wars. These wars have nothing to do with our peace, security or anything else that could be construed as just or reasonable. They have everything to do with oil, the theft of resources, exploiting people’s labor and domination of the entire world. To the extent that Bush and his backers are successful in attacking others, things are worse for us. Our enemies – the monopoly capitalists – become stronger. But the opposite is true as well.

Every setback dealt to U.S. imperialism is good thing for working and oppressed people here. The rich are attacking us. Many of us have decided to fight back. People and countries around the world are resisting the empire of the dollar. Collectively, we have a common enemy and common cause.

May 1, International Workers’ Day, is a time for working people to renew our solidarity with everyone who is fighting injustice and oppression – be it the steadfast men, women and children of Iraq and Palestine, who are giving their lives so that they can free their lands from occupation, or the freedom fighters in Colombia or the Philippines.

Bright Future

Any time that we stand together and fight for what we need and deserve – on the picket lines or in protests and demonstrations – we can see a glimpse of our future. Our best qualities emerge: courage, determination, and a willingness to make sacrifices for what is positive and right. And the greed, selfishness and cruelty of the elite stand out in stark relief.

To be sure, May Day is about our struggle now, but it’s also about what can be, about our future. The White House and Wall Street are leading us to poverty and war. We can do better. A lot better. Working people make this country run. There is no reason why we should not run this country.

There is a name for the way of life that is better than capitalism – it is socialism. We do not need the rich. We don’t need them to run the places where we work. We know better than any supervisor how to get things done. We do not need the government of our oppressors, or their cops, in our communities. We do need each other. We need power over the political and economic life of this country. This is what socialism is all about.

May Day is our day.

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Most of us never learned in school that May Day was born in the U.S.A. We didn't learn it because it was never taught. On May 1, 1886 U.S. workers went on strike for the 8-hour day. The epicenter of this powerful movement was Chicago, where workers fought and died. In the aftermath of this battle, the ruling class extracted revenge. Leaders of the gigantic strike were jailed and executed by the government of Illinois. But for the employers, it was already too late. The heroism and determination of the Chicago working class, and those that led them, would resonate around the world. The idea of celebrating May Day as International Workers Day quickly took root. From then on, May Day became the day for our class to celebrate our victories, and to stand up to those who would rob and oppress us.

This year's May Day comes amid war and crisis. Our class, the working class, faces serious challenges. The rich, the capitalists and corporations who run this country, are “restructuring” the economy to better serve themselves. They want us working at long hours for low pay. For those of us who are unemployed, they are systematically destroying the social safety net. The government is in hands of the wealthy, so it cuts taxes for the rich, and gives the corporations one handout after another.

Our country has become one big jailhouse for the oppressed nationalities with in U.S. borders. According to our rulers, racial profiling is fine – in the airports or on the New Jersey Turnpike. Racist discrimination is a fact of life. Death rows, packed with people of color, give lie to talk of “justice for all.”

The rich have built an empire that extends across the globe. What is called “globalization” is, in fact, imperialism. The corporations are looting the land, labor, and natural resources of others. This robbery is enforced by military means. U.S. war ships sail every sea. American military bases are scattered throughout the world. None of this is for our peace and security. It's all about money for those that already have it.

What Bush calls a “war on terror,” is really a war on poor and working people abroad and right here at home. Bush calls the Palestinian freedom fighters “criminals,” and turns reality upside down.

In Colombia, U.S. troops are on the ground trying to hold back a revolution. “Former” U.S. generals are working in the Defense Ministry of Colombia's death squad government. They want to keep Colombia safe for the profits of oil companies. And they hate the idea of the Colombian rebels coming to power. Colombian revolutionaries want a just and decent society, where the people come first. Corporations that covet Latin America's resources and enrich themselves by paying workers next to nothing are panicked by the prospect of a New Colombia. So the White House sends troops, guns and dollars, while the corrupt president of Colombia struts around with U.S. Special Forces as bodyguards.

Working and oppressed people here are right to stand with our brothers and sisters in other countries. We are ripped off by the same corporations, and face the same Axis of Evil – the White House, the Pentagon, and Wall Street. We do not owe the rich and powerful our love, loyalty or respect. We don't owe them a thing.

On May 1 we look forward to the day working people – those of us who make society run – take political power in our own hands and run all of society! We can take our dreams of peace, equality and freedom and make them a reality. Our future is bright, and great struggles, with great outcomes. are before us.

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May Day is our day. It was born in the struggle of the Chicago working class in May of 1886, as workers there fought and died for the 8-hour day. That battle of heroes gave rise to the tradition of demonstrations, strikes, and celebrations on the part of working people around the globe.

This year's May Day comes in the midst of growing economic instability. The dot com bubble burst. A wave of massive layoffs has hit the high technology sector. In our country, manufacturing is in a full-scale recession. Capitalism, the economic system that dominates much of the world, is undergoing a crisis – a crisis of overproduction.

In their rush to compete with each other, the corporate heads went all-out building new factories, stores, and offices. They have grown accustomed to profiting big, while paying us little. So store shelves and warehouses pile up with goods that we can't afford. Detroit is awash with cars that we don't have the money to buy.

Many countries, like Indonesia and Turkey, are in a situation that rivals the great depression of the 1930's. We don't have a crystal ball, but we do know this – in the United States today, most of us want and need more, not less. We cannot and will not accept a declining standard of living. We should not be pushed down because of “profit warnings” on Wall Street.

On May 1, working people everywhere will say “enough is enough.” We're going forward. We do not intend to sacrifice anything for those who have confused greed with virtue. The rich say it's a dog eat dog world, and that they need to retrench, restructure and resize to better compete with each other. What they mean is laying people off; dealing out wage cuts; slashing or eliminating public assistance; contract givebacks; or marching off to another war, to take something that belongs to someone else.

When wild dogs roam the streets, it's time to call animal control. Those who would kill a community or country in pursuit of profit are not even worthy of a trip to the humane society. The rich contribute nothing. Neither do the politicians that front for them. They take with a steam shovel and give with an eyedropper. There is no reason to put up with a system that protects their power and privilege.

On May Day 2001, we should learn from the women and men of Cincinnati. The oppressor put a gun to their heads. They stood firm and said, “We won't live this way.”

In today's U.S., there is no real equality, justice, or freedom. The slave owners' plantation still casts its shadow on African Americans. High school history books ignore the fact that that American Southwest was once Northern Mexico, so the U.S. can justify the treatment of Chicanos as strangers in their own land. Every oppressed nation has the right to determine it's own destiny.

Each attack of the existing order of things implies its opposite – with our collective work, struggle and intelligence we can aspire to and fight for a better way of life. We can achieve something for our familes and ourselves. That's what May Day is all about.

In the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, millions will march against capitalism. This fact is important. Those of us who are older grew up with a lot of stories about how bad socialism was. However, the truth is obvious – capitalism is a disaster. Old folks who fought the Nazis and kids who should be in school compete for food from trashcans on the streets in Poland, Albania, and the old U.S.S.R.

The U.S. State Department says capitalism is the “end of history.” This is the pillow talk of a class in love with itself. Look at what they have brought to the world: poverty, war, discrimination, and exploitation.

About the bankers and bosses, we can say this: never has there been a class that has given so little and gained so much. The wealthy say that all of us are in the same boat. They lie.

The rich man lives on borrowed time. Our time. Life is short and we need to take the future into our own hands. Every class has its own holidays. For working people, May Day is day that belongs ourselves alone. International Labor Day stands front and center.

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