Everyone’s life has an important story
No story is lesser than the others
We work and work to live
With our sisters & brothers
But we don’t realize that we need each other
And When workers & students are united
We will never be defeated
Every year SEACA youth spend several weeks preparing for the International Worker’s Day march, through making stenciled posters and learning about global immigrant worker’s struggles and rights. This year we decided to get a bit more creative by constructing an oversized SEACA Peace Dragon with messages including, “We’re going to crush that wage theft” and “Don’t sleep on worker’s rights.” We even spent some time writing collective poetry based off what they learned about the daily struggle of immigrant workers surviving in Los Angeles, which includes that of their parents and family members.
On May 1st, with six youth wearing the dragon, while others chanted “When workers are under attack/ What do we do?/ Stand-up fight back!” we glided through Chinatown from the SEACA office down to City Hall to catch the tail end of the march. As we passed by workers and shoppers along Broadway, they turned their heads to watch where we were headed. Once we got to City Hall we looped down Spring St. toward Placita Olvera to witness community members speaking out and writing messages of solidarity for women and children in immigration detention centers. As the march came to a close we hope that our youth continue share to their messages of solidarity beyond this action.
