'We should care about these issues': Vancouver May Day protests call for immigrant, workers' rights
May 1-Men, women and children gathered Friday at Marshall and Esther Short parks for Vancouver's May Day protests, which were among many demonstrations for immigrant and workers' rights across the country.
Locally, Vancouver branches of national progressive organizations, unions and community groups coordinated two events to advocate for fair working conditions.
The first event kicked off at 2 p.m. at Marshall Park with 90 minutes of family-friendly activities and student speakers. Attendees could take part in a letter-writing action. Unionized employees of FVRLibraries asked the library district's board of trustees to add the terms "equity" and "equitable access" to the library district's strategic plan after they were removed in December.
Around 3:30 p.m., attendees began marching toward Esther Short Park where they could visit informational tables hosted by various community groups and unions. Speakers included Vancouver City Council members Diana Perez and Kim Harless.
Jesadia Lopez, 16, a member of the Southwest Washington League of United Latin American Citizens Council 47013, said she felt compelled to be at the protest as a first-generation American and the daughter of immigrant workers.
She said she knew many youth couldn't skip school to attend the protest, but she urged residents to find other ways to support workers by attending community events and shopping at local businesses.
"There are other ways to show up for May Day and show up for what this means, even if you can't be here physically and miss out on work or school or education," Lopez said.
Eva Cortes, 18, a featured speaker at the first event and a member of LULAC as well, said she was there to speak on issues from a youth perspective - one that she felt is often overlooked.
"We should care about these issues; the youth cares about it," Cortes said. "We can't always be here because we have school, but I want to show that we care and that it's important to pay attention to our voices."
Others, like Vancouver resident Ann Clemon, who has attended previous No Kings protests in Clark County, were there to protest the Trump administration's policies, particularly the war in Iran.
Seeing other residents at the May Day protest gave Clemon hope for the future.
"The war needs to stop, because it's driving up prices - not only for us but worldwide," Clemon said. "It's not just affecting us."
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