We are living through something none of us planned for — a war of choice in Iran, the armed hunting of immigrants in our streets, an all-out assault on voting rights, racism and homophobia and transphobia elevated to policy, the raping of the earth, the systematic stripping away of women's rights. Just to name a few.

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On May 1st, we are asking you to make visible something that is always true and rarely acknowledged: this country runs on us. Working people have known this since 1886, when workers across the United States chose May 1st to demand an 8-hour workday and the right to be treated as human beings, not machinery. That stand reverberated around the world and gave birth to May Day becoming a global day of worker solidarity. Over a century later, the date still fits.

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The Moment We're In

On March 28, 2026, millions of people took to the streets for No Kings. In Sequim alone, more than 4,300 of us showed up — the largest demonstration this town has ever seen. We proved that small towns are not bystanders to history. We are history.

But a march is a show of presence. May Day is a show of power.

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In January 2026, the people of Minnesota didn't march — they stopped. Workers, students, families refused business as usual, and federal ICE agents were forced to back down. A General Strike. In 2026. It worked.

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Now that call is going national.

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On May 1st, the May Day Strong coalition — hundreds of organizations, unions including the AFT, NEA, and UFCW, and hundreds of thousands of working people — are joining together with one unified message:

No Work. No School. No Shopping. No Banking.

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Not to cause chaos. To reveal something simple and true: this country runs on us. And we have something to say about how it's run.

 

How You Participate Is Up To You​

You don't have to do everything. You don't have to do anything that puts you at genuine risk. But if every one of us does something — skips one purchase, has one conversation, takes one quiet stand — together we become impossible to ignore.

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Stay home if you can. Skip the errand if you can't. Tell someone why this day matters. We just ask that you honestly do what you can.

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Some of us have questions. That's okay.

This is new territory for a lot of people. Here are some common "Yeah Buts" — and some ways to think them through.

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"What about the small business in our town?" In order to still support small businesses, you might consider doing your normal shopping with them either the day before or the day after the event. And tell them what you're doing, so they know.

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 "I can't afford to miss work. I'll lose pay or even my job." Your participation matters even if you can't take the day off. Skip a purchase on your lunch break. Post on social media. Wear a button. Tell a coworker why May Day matters. The movement has room for every circumstance.

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 "I'm retired. I don't work or shop much anyway. What difference does it make?" You are actually perfectly positioned. Skip the errands, stay home, and — more importantly — tell people why. Share on social media, call a friend, write a letter. Retired people standing up for working people is a powerful and moving signal.

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 "I don't want my kids pulled into adult political battles." Kids aren't the only ones who go to school. College students and older high schoolers can make their own informed choice. For younger children — if they're old enough to understand, this is a genuine civics lesson, not indoctrination. (And don't get us started on how little civics is taught anymore.) If they're too young to understand, they don't need to know why they're not going to school. Go have a quality family day somewhere. That works too.

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 "One day won't change anything." History disagrees. The 2006 Day Without Immigrants — millions of people staying home from work and skipping shopping — reshaped the national debate overnight. The Minnesota General Strike in January 2026 forced federal agents to back down. One day, done together, moves mountains.

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 "This feels too political. I don't want to be labeled." Wanting workers respected over billionaires isn't a partisan position — it's a human one. May Day has been honored by working people across the political spectrum for well over a century. You don't have to carry a sign or join a march. Simply not shopping that day is a quiet, personal, powerful act.

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 "I own a small business. Are you asking me to close?" Only you can make that call, and no one will judge you for staying open. If you can close or reduce hours, that's a meaningful statement. If you can't, consider posting a sign of solidarity, or simply telling your customers why this day matters to you.

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 "I've never heard of May Day. Is this some kind of radical thing?" May Day has been honored by working people around the world for well over a century — born from the struggle for basic dignity on the job. Participating in May Day is not radical. It's standing in a very long and very human line.

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 "I have medical appointments or caregiving duties I can't skip." Of course — your health and your people come first, always. Reschedule what you genuinely can. For what you can't, participate in other ways. The movement needs you healthy and whole.

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 "What if participating puts my job or immigration status at risk?" Your safety is the movement's first concern. No one should take actions that genuinely endanger their livelihood or legal standing. There are many ways to participate that carry no risk — a quiet decision not to shop, a conversation with a neighbor, a share on social media. You matter too much to be put in harm's way.

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 "I don't like this May Day [INSERT REASON]" You don't have to do it. I am sure there are lot's of other ways you are in action. Thank you for joining us in the fight against fascism.

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May 1st is coming.

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Working people have claimed this day for over a century. And now — in this moment, in this country — it's our turn.

No Work. No School. No Shopping. No Banking.

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Show up in whatever way you can. It all counts.