CFA Members Show Solidarity at May Day Actions Across California

CFA members rallied and marched across the state on May Day, also known as International Workers Day, in a show of solidarity.  

International Workers Day celebrates workers and the history of labor organizing. Many actions also involved demonstrations for immigrant rights and social justice.  

In the Los Angeles area, six CFA chapters joined together to march as a bloc of over 50 faculty, with the banner “Higher Education for Labor,” chanting for nearly 3 miles, from Mac Arthur Park to Grand Park. The theme, “Solo El Pueblo, We Shut it Down,” was chosen by a coalition of immigrant rights organizations and labor unions. The coalition included CFA and Council for Racial and Social Justice leaders, like Alejandro Villapando. At the rally, John Caravello also spoke to a crowd of thousands, echoing the message to join and strengthen labor union organizing for immigrant defense. 

Below is a transcription of a speech CFA president and Sacramento State professor Margarita Berta-Ávila gave at a May Day action in Sacramento.  

“My name is Margarita Berta-Ávila. I am a professor of education at Sacramento State and the first Chicana President of the California Faculty Association (CFA), a union of 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches who fighting for an accessible, safe and equitable education to the California State University (CSU) system’s 485,000 students in all 23 campuses.  

We, as CFA, are here today in solidarity on this May 1, International Workers Day, demanding that ICE be abolished, demanding the release of our siblings that have been abducted with unjust detentions, and that ICE return our community members to their families and end the horrific act of family separations. These demands are stated in solidarity as labor, workers, and collective community with one another but specifically uplifting the fight we have together in protecting our immigrant communities. 

With this collective demand – we are resisting and answering the call to organize for the future we envision and deserve. For we are all part of a labor movement—a people’s movement—that must be on the front line, because our communities, our families, are not human collateral, nor will we allow them to be! 

With that said, for all of us to be gathered here today is no coincidence. May 1, International Workers Day, serves as a day of solidarity for workers to advocate for labor rights, better working conditions, and social justice. Justice for one another. 

It’s not lost on me that today is also the 20-year anniversary in which millions of immigrants and co-conspirators in the United States participated in “A Day Without an Immigrant” (or El Gran Paro Estadounidense). The date was chosen specifically to coincide with May Day, reviving its historical roots as a labor-focused, radical day of action in the U.S. 

Demonstrators boycotted school, work, and shopping to highlight the economic contributions of undocumented laborers. Hundreds of thousands marched in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. But let’s not forget that here, in Sacramento, we came out and took care of business. With the purpose of opposing HR 4437 which proposed making undocumented presence a felony.  

Twenty years later, even more so, it is about rights, respect, and justice for hardworking people and their loved ones. It’s about justice for our students on our CSU campuses living with constant uncertainty: if today will be the day they are deported. Will it happen on campus, or will anyone stand up for them? Fear of not knowing how they take care of themselves as well as their family.  

It’s about our students putting themselves on the line to protect their fellow students and communities and are getting arrested, especially Black and Brown students being targeted, like at CSU Northridge. It’s about the folk who are observing in the courtrooms, the folk that are accompanying, the folk taking food to families who are afraid to leave their homes, the folk fixing the brake lights so people are not fearful to be stopped by the police if they are undocumented, the folk organizing the community watches, the folk on the threads with the rapid responses, its about the rights, respect, and justice for all those who have been killed.  

So, when we say, “We take care of us, EI Pueblo Salva el Pueblo!!!,” these are not empty words. These are words that we are giving life to and have a responsibility, one way or another, to do something about. Let me pause here for a moment, for this statement – we take care of us – is a call for each of us to embody mind, spirit, and body. That is why the preparation of my words today has been emotional for me. Because of the urgency of our role as a community, as a colectiva, we must continue to meet the moment in the movement that we are in. There is no time to waste or even get caught up in our egos or what we alone think must happen. 

With the heightened fascist rhetoric and actions taken at the federal level that are impacting us here today, right now, there are no words to properly describe what is being felt and experienced. But what we do know is this – we are committed to this movement – to make known to all, that as a movement we are demanding the necessary humanity to live a quality of life – free from fear, harassment, and hostility. We will not stand for Trump’s or Congress’ or the Heritage Foundation’s – and anyone else we can name – racist, xenophobic, fear mongering, sexist, toxic masculinity, misogynist, anti-LGBTQ and transphobic actions and policies.  

As CFA, and part of a larger labor coalition, we recognize that being part of this labor movement is a people’s movement. Pushing back on these fascist actions and being at the forefront of justice, equity, and access is not an option. Thus, the realities of our communities and families of our students cannot be ignored, whether it be fighting for safety because of immigration status, a living wage, health care, affordable housing, food security, or because you are a woman or person of color.  

As a colectiva – there will be those moments of disagreements regarding the approaches taken. That is OK. It does not mean we are now enemies. You might be saying to yourself, ‘That is obvious. Of course there will be differences of opinion.’ But I am saying it because it is worth repeating today. It’s about rolling your sleeves and getting to work simultaneously. What must be expected of one another is a level of political maturity. A collectivist understanding that right now, this fascist, imperialist government is counting on us to fight and tear each other down.  

I am going to say this: we have a moral responsibility to be concientes (aware) that we cannot fall into that trap. For this fight is far from over.  

In my early 20’s, an elder in the Sacramento native and indigenous community, Mama Cobb, shared with me the following: When we transition to the sixth sun, it will come with chaos, destruction, harm, pain, etc., but those who can come together collectively and think of each other and the betterment of one another will see the other side of it. Those who are individualistic and are working to only further their own name/agenda will not survive.  

How you want to interpret this message is up to you. But one thing is clear: we organize  for what we envision. We are here to concretize the possibilities collectively, to organize collectively, to remember each other’s humanity in our work. It is inspiring to see working people exercising our right to speak out and organize and making it clear that we are not going anywhere.”