May Day 2011 - How to Promote?

[willdw79]

Can we make it go viral?

There should be a campaign to boost participation in May Day marches in the U.S. this year. I am partial to a certain group, but I want to promote all of the marches, not just my favorite group. As Fredrick Douglas said, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong".

A page on RevLeft that lists the place, date, and a link to every May Day march/rally that can be found could be made. Then links for Twitter (#MayDay2011) & Facebook with short slogans that link to the RevLeft page with all of the march/rally info could be posted. For example:
Tired of racist cutbacks? There is a May Day March in your area http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches

¡Obreros unidos, jamás serán vencidos! - http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches

Organize to make things better - http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches

We tried Obama, now let's vote with our feet, march on May Day http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches

No more imperialist War FOR Terror! http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches

The above are just off the top of my head examples.

Anyone may participate, if they are interested.

There could also be a page where people could write better notes than the ones I created above and share them on a different page, so that we could copy and paste them to the places we travel on the web.

The left is very fragmented right now. A mass action makes all of us more familiar to people, regardless of whether or not they know my particular group. So, when I have a conversation with someone, the ideas don't just come off as bizarre. This type of action would blend the online and real world struggles into one. It would support the entire left which seems to be a positive thing to all of us.

Maybe if we get the message out far and wide, May Day can go viral.

[Iraultzaile Ezkerreko]

Obreros unidos hamas se ran vencidos - [Link to march/rally list]

Not with this atrocious spanish! :laugh:

¡Obreros unidos, jamás serán vencidos!

[willdw79]

Thanks, thats funny!. I don't speak Spanish, but that's how it sounds to me... hahah, let me edit that.

[Delenda Carthago]

A. I dont get why anyobody would not participate

B. What about taking it to the streets you lazy asses?Godamn facebook and twitter is not the way to go on this one.Print a huge amount of leaflets and share them to the streets.

[Rocky Rococo]

A. I dont get why anyobody would not participate

B. What about taking it to the streets you lazy asses?Godamn facebook and twitter is not the way to go on this one.Print a huge amount of leaflets and share them to the streets.

Sad to say, but in the US, you take a bunch of leaflets for MayDay into the street, and all you get is a litter problem. The reality is that Twitter and Facebook are more effective in the US, they were what were used to organize the massively successful immigrant Mayday marches a couple years ago, and they do it without harming a single tree.

[willdw79]

A. I dont get why anyobody would not participate

B. What about taking it to the streets you lazy asses?Godamn facebook and twitter is not the way to go on this one.Print a huge amount of leaflets and share them to the streets.
The hope is to get people into the street by reaching people that we don't always see in the street. The hope is that people who don't know anyone who is politically active will see some Tweets and some Facebook stats and then talk to that friend and want to check out one of the events.

[willdw79]

A list is being put together right now. If you have a location, time, and link, please post. There is a little trouble finding marches/rallies but maybe it's a little early. Wanna succeed at this one. It's so important with the Peter King anti-arab racism, the anti-immigration racism, the women's pay gap sexism, the education cuts, the union busting, the growing wealth inequality-- all of it and more. Only the left has real answers. So, if there is a march/rally that you can find, please post.

[thriller]

Printing fliers is great, if you hate trees. Well the Labor movement is strong in Madison WI, where I am. We are hoping to build on it. My organization, SP-USA and SP-South Central Wisconsin are still in the process of details. We are hoping tot take to the Capitol in the same way as to what is happening now. I will be sure to update you as we get more details. We are also looking to work with EVERY socialist/anarchist/communist group in the midwest area.

[pastradamus]

Well, obviously, being Irish I cant really answer that poll. However, I do wish the US members the best of luck in their may day celebration. Remember, the bourgeois have 364 days and we have but one - so make sure to make an impact!

[Rocky Rococo]

Just share my experience with you. A few years ago I had a blog where I did a big month of pre-MayDay promotion. (It was a WordPress blog so I'm sure the carcass is still out there.) What I discovered is that in most places, the approach of our Greek visitor, to dismiss the internet as an organizing tool for MayDay, is the norm. Presumably that's because old people and old organizations probably run most MayDays, and even the most modern and advanced MayDay organizers, like the EuroMayDay Network, are very haphazard in getting their stuff up online. You're going to have to keep combing the web if you want to get a substantial aggregation of material, it won't be coming to you. Do expect that around about April 20 the web will suddenly explode with events. Some events don't get a web presence until the day before, the day of, or even after MayDay, when somebody posts a report, or video. (Remember to do searches in Spanish! Primero de Maio, 1o de Maio, etc.)

I agree that this year, with the rather remarkable phenomenon of some smidgen of solidarity and class consciousness tentatively appearing among some American workers, it's a particularly important year to make as much of MayDay as possible.

My great-grandfather served on the Chicago MayDay Parade organizing committee for something like 40 years, so it's sort of a family tradition for me to care about MayDay parades.

[Robespierre Richard]

Oh cool I thought this would be about actual hard work and organization but it's about facebook statuses and twitter hashtags. I love being able to change the world at the click of a button.

[Ele'ill]

You can organize ahead of time yourself, you can call up labor groups to help with phone tree stuff, you can post flyers, banners etc ahead of time (I think a big banner drop around now in every major city in the US would be badass)

You can draw in more people during actual marches as well. These marches have to have drums- there's no other way to do it.

[southernmissfan]

Oh cool I thought this would be about actual hard work and organization but it's about facebook statuses and twitter hashtags. I love being able to change the world at the click of a button.

Your sarcasm is much appreciated :rolleyes:

Anyways, I think it is a completely valid and necessary tactic to utilize the internet and social networking to spread awareness of May Day marches and boost participation in them. Certainly it is not the only tactic or the most important one, but activists who fail to see its utility will be left behind eventually.

[Rocky Rococo]

MayDay events are starting to show up online, here's a few I've found:

Hartford, CT: http://www.ctlpl.com/newscenter/workersrightsrally.html
New Haven, CT: http://www.maydaynewhaven.org/schedule.php
Boston, MA: http://www.bostonmayday.org/
Lansing, MI: http://lansingworkerscenter.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/may-day-2011/
St. Paul, MN: http://antiwarcommittee.org/2011/03/24/may-1st-%E2%80%93-400-pm-%E2%80%93-march-in-st-paul-mn-for-international-workers-day/
Portland, OR: http://www.jwjpdx.org/actionalerts/actionalert-1301350541.32

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cairns, Australia: http://www.mua.org.au/events/may-day-2011/
Darwin, Australia: http://www.mua.org.au/events/may-day-2011/
Sydney, Australia: http://www.mua.org.au/events/may-day-2011/

Vienna, Austria: http://mayday-wien.org/

Toronto, Canada: http://www.rabble.ca/whatsup/may-day-2011

London, England: http://l-r-c.org.uk/events/detail/london-may-day-march/

Dortmund, Germany: http://linksunten.indymedia.org/en/node/36528

Dublin, Ireland http://www.wsm.ie/c/dublin-mayday-march

Wellington, New Zealand: http://workersparty.org.nz/2011/03/26/wellington-may-day-march/

Lisbon, Portugal: http://www.maydaylisboa.net/

Glasgow, Scotland: http://www.scottishleftreview.org/li/images/stories/pdf/mayday.pdf

Geneva, Switzerland: http://euromayday-geneve.com/
Zurich, Switzerland: http://www.1mai.ch/1mai/

Some people can scoff all they like, but I think it's a useful thing to compile and distribute this information. I'll continue to gather it over the coming weeks. Anyone have links to other Mayday 2011 events?

[willdw79]

To ALL YALL... Own this issue, it's ours! May Day is our day, any increase in turnout helps to promote class consciousness which is what we ALL need more of in order to organize. Legitimize the left, support May Day!

Please take five or ten minutes to find a couple of marches. Thank you.

[willdw79]

To EVERYONE, please post marches and rallys scheduled for May Day right away. A partial list has been compiled, but more are needed. Thank you.

[Agent Ducky]

I'm new to the whole leftism thing and I did some quick google searches.... So basically May Day is like proletariat/worker's day? Sounds cool ^_^

[Omsk]

May day is more than that,it is a symbol of leftism,a day in which we can parade in our spirit and show the capitalists that they could destroy states,bomb cities like they do,attack and go without punishment but they can never break our spirit.
May day is very important,as the international day of workers and good honest people who live from their own work.

This year i will be waving the red flag.

My grandfather and my father celebrated May day,and i think one should uphold the traditions of his socialist family.

[willdw79]

cool ComradeErich (http://www.revleft.com/vb/member.php?u=35463), can you help find some marches so that we may promote May Day?

[willdw79]

I'm new to the whole leftism thing and I did some quick google searches.... So basically May Day is like proletariat/worker's day? Sounds cool ^_^
May Day has a history rooted in the labor struggle of Anarchists & Communists. Click here --> http://bit.ly/MayDayHistory this is one take.

[Ele'ill]

I'm sure there will be an autonomous assembly on MayDay in Portland.

[willdw79]

So far: Oakland, CA Richmond, VA Manhattan, NY Hartford, CT New Haven, Connecticut Boston, MA Lansing, MI Tuscon, AZ Tuscon, AZ St. Paul, MN Portland, OR Chicago, IL Reno, NV Milwaukee, WI East Boston, MA Everett, MA Chelsea, MA Chicago, IL

Please, something in ATL, L.A., Bakersfield, Houston, Miami, D.C., etc.

[Ele'ill]

I'd imagine there's stuff going on in Philly and DC

[willdw79]

I'd imagine there's stuff going on in Philly and DC
Yes, maybe you could query that and perhaps post some dates and times or just a link so the exact information can be compiled.

Thank You

[PeteyKVideo]

I just found this website. I guess I can't post links until I make 25 post. I made two promo videos! One in English and one in Spanish. Just search on youtube: Mayday or maydayunited.

Thanks! See you in the streets
-Pete

[willdw79]

OK, to the 28 people that would like to participate (and everyone else) here --> http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches is a list of upcoming marches, you can paste this link along with any slogan that you want, wherever you want. For example:

Tired of the Royal Wedding bullshit? Then meet some people who want a better life for all of us, not just the rich http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches

Or you can Twitterfy your message:

@BarackObama, Cutting education? More wars for oil? WTF?! I'm marching for my CHANGE http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches

Twitter is good because you can @ anyone you want. Challenge the (mis)leaders. Facebook people that you know. Maybe you can give them a call too. But whatever you do, its more than nothing. Spreading the word is spreading legitimacy for us all. So, get creative, get the word out and share if you will.

[Ele'ill]

There was a user asking (sort of) about events in Alabama.

[willdw79]

Alabama is one of those places that I just couldn't find anything on. that user may be out of luck. But, that user can do this web based project to at least get the word out, so that maybe there will be something there again.

[willdw79]

Please you creative leftists add more:

Tired of racist cutbacks? There is a May Day March in your area http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches (http://www.anonym.to/?http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches)

¡Obreros unidos, jamás serán vencidos! - http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches (http://www.anonym.to/?http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches)

Organize to make things better - http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches (http://www.anonym.to/?http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches)

We tried Obama, now let's vote with our feet, march on May Day http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches (http://www.anonym.to/?http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches)

No more imperialist War FOR Terror! http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches (http://www.anonym.to/?http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches)

The Tea Party DEMANDS A RESPONSE!!! March with us, against the neo-fascist agenda http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches (http://www.anonym.to/?http://bit.ly/MayDayMarches)