Thousands participate in May Day rally, march downtown Chicago, including CPS teachers, students

CHICAGO (WLS) -- International Workers Day served as the backdrop of several May Day rallies in Chicago and across the country on Friday, bringing together thousands who made their voices heard from the city's Near West Side to filling Daley Plaza.

One of the Chicago Teachers Union pre-rally events before the big citywide event this afternoon drew hundreds of students to Rainbow PUSH headquarters from around the area.

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Waves of buses filled with CPS students arrived Friday morning where the Chicago Teachers Union said students are learning about voting, civil rights, community building, and advocacy on May Day. Kids who attended returned to school for the second half of the day.

Others attended the major May Day rally and march, beginning at Union Park and ending at Daley Plaza downtown. The rally began at 1 p.m., and the march starts at 2 p.m., going along Washington, Racine, Jackson, Halsted and Washington to Daley Plaza.

"I happen to be a union educator, and so I'm out here to support Union Brothers and sisters," said Diane de Sousa with Prairie State College.

Different causes came together for the same fight.

"I'm here with my daughter because I want her to see that we need to fight for our rights," parent Humberto Ramirez said.

This year's "workers over billionaires" May Day boycott called for people to skip school, work and shopping for an economic blackout. Demands include taxing the rich and putting an end to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

"Coming from Mexican household, I understand how hard it is for immigrants to come and work day-by-day," Chicago Academy high school student Guadalup Hurtado said.

"All workers deserve dignity and respect, and we're not going to stop fighting," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

The rally then spilled into the streets as demonstrators marched from the Near West Side to downtown's Daley Plaza.

"We're going to stand up," demonstrator Jake Slater said. "We're going to fight. We're going to take the battle to them."

"I think we need to fight, you know?" demonstrator Victoria Nee said. "This democracy is not just a democracy for America, but we should be a beacon for the rest of the world."

Thousands participated in a May Day events in Chicago, including CPS teachers and students.

CPS was in session Friday, but teachers and students with permission could participate in May Day rallies.

The Chicago Teachers Union has called for civic engagement activities for those not participating in May Day rallies, but CPS CEO Macquline King said it's not a requirement for students.

The May Day crowd was a relatively big one at Union park, but the amount of Chicago Public Schools teachers and students particpating was not many as CTU had anticipated, CPS said.

Rainbow Push's May Day event was organized by the Chicago Teachers Union. For Beulah Shoesmith Elementary principal Kai Murray, a field trip there with half of her student population was an easy decision as PUSH is in the neighborhood.

"It also shows the importance of solidarity with our teachers and what they stand up to do every day for our students," Murray said.

Besides quick appearances from Mayor Johnson and CTU President Stacy Davis Gates, younger students participated in activities and older students listened to speakers.

"You're the ones who get to tell us... from the things you see, that you need and deserve, in your home spaces and in your neighborhood and your school spaces that means your school community," CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said. "So as you're taking all this in, but you get to bring back to us is what you deserve."

"Today you're making history or part of the next generation of voices of leaders who will continue on the legacy of protecting and building our democracy," Mayor Johnson said.

The history of May Day wasn't the only topic. Many students learned about their own history.

"I learned to love the color of my skin and texture of my hair, and can't let anybody tell me I can't love that," CPS student Malachi Knazze said.

"I wanted to go on the field trip, because I thought it would be a learning experience," CPS student Raquel Hendricks said.

By the afternoon, CPS buses also rolled into Union Park. CPS approved about 40 field trips out of 514 district managed schools to participate in May Day events.

"I'm 16 years old, in two more years, I'm going to be allowed to vote," CPS high school student Rockie Malone said. "And it's important for me, like, to know the political climate and know what I support and what I don't support."

Critics of CTU's push for CPS May Day participation say the union was telling kids what to support. With many anti-Trump signs at the Union Park rally, politics were on display.

"It is very much about politics," CPS high school student Zaria Holmes said.

CPS says less than 1% of the CPS student population participated in May Day related field trips, and according to the district, about 87% of CPS teachers were in classrooms on Friday.

Every teacher showed up at Brown Stem Magnet School. The K-8 school is only a couple blocks from Union Park, yet principal LaToya Lyons decided a regular instructional day teaching students about civic action was a better use of time.

"How can we ensure that students are receiving the instruction, as opposed to just, you know, having a day off and not really engaging in the historical background and understanding," Lyons said.

There will no controversy over May Day next year because it falls on a Saturday, but the compromise between CTU and CPS this year allows for a non-attendance day in 2028.

There were other May Day events throughout the city and suburbs on Friday. More than 300 Loyola University faculty members will hold a one-day strike. They have been in contract negotiations for more than a year.

Students, Workers and community members rallied outside Oak Park River and Forest High School, before marching to Scoville Park in Oak Park.

The CASA DuPage organization led a rally at its workers center in Wheaton.

A plaque dedication marked the 140th anniversary of the Haymarket Affair. The historic worker's revolt of 1886 in Chicago marked the beginning of the eight-hour workday.

Several labor organizations added plaques to the Haymarket memorial at the ceremony Friday morning, with Mayor Johnson, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and UAW President Shawn Fain.