From Candida Mannozzi. You can reach her at
candida[AT]borderstan.com. As many of you know, May 1 marks
International Labor Day and is an observed national holiday in
many countries around the world. What we may not always remember
is that this date was chosen by labor movements around the world
as the day to commemorate an event that had actually occurred in
the U.S. In early May of 1886, a workers’ protest outside the
McCormick factory on Haymarket Square in Chicago turned violent
and was brutally repressed by the local Police. A few days
later, anarchists organized a protest for the event and again,
shots were fired on the protesters, resulting in numerous
victims. A year later, on November 11, 1887, four workers, four
labor union organizers, and four anarchists were hanged for
organizing the strike and manifestation of May 1, 1886.
President Grover Cleveland decided that commemorating the
success of the labor movement in obtaining an 8-hour workday and
other basic workers’ rights in early May could ignite