May Day / International Workers’ Day, Friday May 1

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Unidad Latina en Acción and the May Day Strong coalition are rallying for May Day on the New Haven Green on Friday, May 1 from noon till 7 p.m., with a march at 5 p.m.

DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS – GENERAL STRIKE! Join us on Friday, May 1,  May Day – International Workers’ Day – on the New Haven Green, for a powerful day of action and community in New Haven!

CALL TO ACTION:

No Work! No School!
No Shopping!

Come be part of a day filled with music, speakers, festival activities, community tabling.

Stand in solidarity, raise your voice, and support immigrant communities!

Friday, May 1, noon till 7 p.m. March at 5 p.m.

Contact: call 475-323-9413, or email: newhavenmayday@gmail.com. Also see maydaystrong.org.

May Day Is Our Day! 

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May Day Is Our Day!  Celebrate and Unite Around Demands to Meet Our Needs! Tax the Rich – No Ice – No Wars – Hands Off Our Vote

CT People’s World

Friday May 1 in Hartford at the Capitol 10 a.m. to noon.

Friday May 1 in New Haven on the Green. Noon tabling, 4 p.m. speeches,

5 p.m. March!

Then come together on Saturday, May 2 at 6 p.m. hosted by CT People’s World at 267 Chapel St. (Teachers Union Hall) for a May Day Around the World rally.

WORKING CLASS UNITY  From the Streets to the Polls

UNIDAD DE LA CLASE TRABAJADORA 

De las Calles a las Urnas

Saturday May 2  CT People’s World May Day rally: WORKING CLASS UNITY – From the Streets to the Polls 6 p.m. at 267 Chapel St., New Haven. Refreshments.     May Day Around the World slide show. Greetings. Songs. Contributions accepted. Sign up here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/ctpw2026mayday/

US-Mexico Border and Race Symposium

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by Michelle Zacks, Associate Director, Gilder Lehrman Center

Scheduled for Saturday, May 2, this is a one-day symposium at Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave., free and open to the public, called The US-Mexico Border and Race, Past and Present. It is organized by the Gilder Lehrman Center in close collaboration with GLC Associate Research Scholar, Dr. Melissa Torres (Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). The symposium features a keynote address by Prof. Sonia Hernandez (Texas A&M), followed by two panel discussions and a break-out Q&A session for K-12 teachers. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served, as well as afternoon snacks and beverages.

The program was conceived as a follow-up to the Yale and Slavery project, and the various projects at Yale focusing on the university’s and New Haven’s key roles in the eugenics movement of the early twentieth century. This program will follow that thread by focusing on the xenophobia and white supremacist ideas that have long been embedded in U.S. immigration policy broadly and in the construction and policing of the US-Mexico border in particular. Speakers will connect the histories of violent, racialized border control policies with the contemporary violence of ICE raids, warrantless detention, family separation, concentration camps, deportation, and foreign imprisonment. They also will address how communities within the borderlands continue to develop creative modes to survive and resist these exclusionary forces.

We hope you can join us for this important conversation. For more information, for the full schedule for the day, and to register, please go to bit.ly/4tZBkcu.

‘One, Two, Three, Four, Open Up the Prison Door’

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by Stanley Heller, Middle East Crisis Committee

April 17 was Palestine Prisoners’ Day. In New Haven, it was marked by a march starting at the New Haven Green, going up Chapel Street and through Yale, passing by Yale Law School, and back to the Green. Some forty to fifty people marched and chanted despite a light rain. A number of Palestinian flags were carried as were two large banners that called for freedom for Dr. Abu Safiya, the Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been locked in various Israeli prisons since December of 2024. Another banner said, “Resist with Palestine Until Liberation.”

An intersection was blocked by the marchers so that a short speech could be delivered.  At Yale, a chant arose demanding that the Yale Corporation divest from Israel and weapons makers.  Basel Al Najjar, who gave one of the speeches, called on the crowd to show no fear and take more actions. He claimed that supporters of Palestine were now the majority. A new poll by CNN does show that Americans are now more sympathetic to Palestinians than to Israelis.

The march was sponsored by We Will Return, the CT Palestine Alliance, UCONN MSA, Students for Justice in Palestine, and American Muslims for Palestine. It began after a Muslim prayer service but march participants were of all creeds. Several TSVN [The Struggle Video News: thestrugglevideo.org] shorts of the march received thousands of views.

 

SCSU Rally Calls For ICE-Detained Student’s Release

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Thomas Breen, April 6, 2026, New Haven Independent

More than 100 students, teachers, and immigrant rights advocates gathered outside of Southern Connecticut State University’s (SCSU) Buley Library Monday [April 6] to speak up for a classmate who was detained by federal immigration agents off campus last week.

photo: Thomas Breen

photo: Thomas Breen

Speaker after speaker on Monday — including co-emcees Justin Farmer and Sam Morrison, students and faculty from SCSU, and organizers from UNITE HERE 217, the New Haven Immigrants Coalition, and Unidad Latina en Acción, among other groups — called for the detained student to be released, for the university to support undocumented students, and for a mass mobilization against the Trump administration in response to the federal government’s immigration crackdown.

[More at https://bit.ly/4tpkTpM.]

 

 

Author Talk — Radical Connecticut: People’s History In the Constitution State

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by New Haven Free Public Library

On Thursday, May 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., author Andy Piascik will discuss his new book Radical Connecticut: People’s History In The Constitution State, in the community program room of the Ives Main Library, 133 Elm Street, New Haven.

Radical Connecticut: People’s History in the Constitution State tells the stories of everyday people and well-known figures whose work has often been obscured, denigrated, or dismissed. There are narratives of movements, strikes, popular organizations and people in Connecticut who changed the state and the country for the better.

Bridgeport native Andy Piascik is a long-time activist and award-winning writer whose work has appeared in many publications and on many websites. He is the author of the novel In Motion. Radical Connecticut: People’s History in the Constitution State is his fourth book. 

Singing Resistance Chapter in New Haven

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A New Haven chapter of Singing Resistance has emerged! Join the group or start your own using the Singing Resistance Toolkit and Songbook.

Songbook: tinyurl.com/songbookSR

Accompanying Toolkit: tinyurl.com/toolkitSR

Follow us on Instagram: @singingresistancenhv

We sing to protect our neighbors and ourselves. We are grounded in love, nonviolence, and solidarity. ICE OUT.  Now, tomorrow, forever.

linktr.ee/srnewhaven

Creative Voices of New Haven Youth

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by Sarah Ficca, Yale Schwarzman Center

Fifty-three young artists living in the New Haven community will present their work in five dynamic exhibitions at Yale Schwarzman Center [168 Grove St., where Woolsey Hall is]. All exhibitions are free and open to the public. The colorful exhibitions highlight creative work from New Haven high school students, Yale undergraduate students, and Yale graduate students. These artists bring a wide range of experience from professional to self-taught, and their works encompass a wide array of mediums and art practices. Curated by the Schwarzman Center’s Associate Director of Venues and Exhibitions Carlynne Robinson, the exhibitions open April 7. https://schwarzman.yale.edu/exhibitions

  • Call-to-Connect – Interactive sculpture featuring old-fashioned phone booths, phone books, and audio recordings, on display in the Rotunda.
  • The View from Here: Accessing Art Through Photography – Photography by New Haven high school students who completed a course of instruction and produced work using smartphone cameras, and on display in the Presidents’ Gallery. A collaboration with Yale Schwarzman Center and Yale British Art Center.
  • West of the River – Photography for a Yale MFA thesis exploring themes of place and on display in The Well Gallery extension.
  • Rooted in Heritage: Art Across Yale’s Cultural Centers – Two-dimensional artworks by professional and self-taught student artists, selected by Yale’s Cultural Centers and on display in The Well Gallery.
  • Storyboard: Poetry and the Everyday – Digital exhibition focused on the theme of poetry, showcasing audio, video, written work, and visual arts, on display in the virtual gallery on the Schwarzman Center’s website.

“We are immensely proud to spotlight the depth and variety of more than 50 students with different interests, backgrounds, and artistic styles,” said Associate Director of Venues and Exhibitions, Carlynne Robinson.

These exhibitions encompass extraordinary work by talented artists on our campus, as well as throughout our New Haven community. The vision for these wide-ranging exhibitions speaks directly to our mission and goals.” added Executive Director of Yale Schwarzman Center, Rachel Fine.

Yale Schwarzman Center is a center for student life and the arts at the historic heart of the Yale University campus. Yale Schwarzman Center produces programs and collaborative arts experiences geared toward audiences within and beyond the Yale campus. Plan your visit today by reaching out to sarah.ficca@yale.edu https://schwarzman.yale.edu/location-hours.

Join a Community Event to Support the Ride to End Fossil Fuels in CT

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by Ella Foster, The No Pipeline Expansion Northeast Coalition

On Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31, about twenty cyclists will ride 100 miles across Connecticut to oppose the expansion of fossil fuels in our state. Along the way, we’re hosting community events in Brookfield, Middletown, and Mansfield, and you’re invited!

All three of these locations have current or proposed fossil fuel projects that damage our local environment, contribute to climate change, harm our health, and push our energy prices up. Join us as we learn about these projects, make art, cheer on the riders, and imagine a cleaner, greener, and healthier Connecticut.

Together, we can send a message to fossil fuel and utility companies that Connecticut says NO to fossil fuel expansions. Read on to learn about each of the Ride to End Fossil Fuels events and their registration details. We hope to see you there!

Press Conference and Kick-off: May 30th, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., in Brookfield, CT. The ride will start in Brookfield, Connecticut, where riders will join community members to highlight the proposed doubling of the methane gas compressor station. The compressor station is located in Brookfield, only 1,900 feet from the town’s middle school. Register at bit.ly/4to5juN.

Art for Our River: May 30th, 3 p.m.-6 p.m., in Middletown, CT. Riders will ride 60 miles from Brookfield to Middletown, where we will host a community art project, highlighting the proposed Eversource pipeline under the Connecticut River. This pipeline would impact state parks in Middletown, East Hampton, and Higganum. Register at bit.ly/4cKldsm.

Ride to End Fossil Fuels Rally: May 31st, 3 p.m., in Mansfield, CT. Riders will complete the final 40 miles of their ride before we cheer them across the finish line in Mansfield. Here we will talk about the impact of the interstate Enbridge pipeline that runs through Connecticut, including Mansfield. Register at bit.ly/4sQUssb.

For more information, email sena.wazer@sierraclub.org.

Protest the Fascist Trump Regime

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by New Haven Chapter of Refuse Fascism

Join with the New Haven Chapter of Refuse Fascism along with New Haven groups and individuals to protest against all of the fascist Trump regime with the unifying demand: TRUMP MUST GO NOW!

Every Monday, 4-5 p.m., weather permitting, join us on South Frontage Road near the corner of Church Street South, outside The Towers’ east gate. Bring signs, banners, whistles, etc.

Info: newhaven@refusefascism.org, RefuseFascism.org

The Origin of Mother’s Day

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MOTHER’S DAY PROCLAMATION
Boston, 1870

Arise, then… women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies.
Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage,
for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.

From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says:  Disarm, Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
nor violence vindicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
at the summons of war,
let women now leave all that may be left of home
for a great and earnest day of council.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them then solemnly take council with each other as to the means
whereby the great human family can live in peace,
each bearing after his own kind the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask
that a general congress of women, without limit of nationality,
may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient,
and at the earliest period consistent with its objects,
to promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
the amicable settlement of international questions,
the great and general interests of peace.

~ Julia Ward Howe

Mother’s Day Tribute Garden News

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by Paula Panzarella, West River Peace Garden

On Saturday, May 9 at 11 a.m., we invite you to take part in the first Mother’s Day Tribute in the expanded area of the West River Peace Garden. In case of rain, the gathering will be on Sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m.

The West River Peace Garden features blooming native perennials, a magnolia tree, and a Ginkgo tree (grown from a cutting of a Ginkgo that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945). Now we have a circular garden to the north side (near MLK Blvd.), developed through the initiative of a neighbor who felt the need for Mother’s Day to include paying homage to mothers who have passed on.

We hope you’ll bring a plant for the garden in memory of your mother. Share a story about your mom, listen to music, decorate a stone to put in the garden, and meet the neighbors.

The West River Peace Garden is by Ella Grasso Blvd. between Legion Ave. and MLK Blvd. We work in the garden every Friday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and welcome all volunteers. For info, call 203-350-3795. Our website is westriverpeacegarden.org.

An Urgent Call to PAR Newsletter Readers

by Ann Froines, Back from the Brink

Are you concerned, even frightened, that the regional wars involving nuclear powers in these perilous times could spark an exchange of nuclear weapons? The result of such an exchange could result in the deaths of millions over time—from the explosions themselves, radiation contamination, and a “nuclear winter” resulting in vastly lowered food production. Prominent scientists and medical personnel have warned for decades of this possibility because nuclear weapons are on hair-trigger alerts. One mistake in a complicated system could result in devastation to the planet.

You can help avert this catastrophe by participating as an individual in the grassroots campaign launched by the coalition Back from the Brink. (See preventnuclearwar.org.) At this readable website you will find this campaign’s common sense approach to nuclear policies that will secure a safer future for all the world. You can easily join as an individual, provide financial support, and use its advocacy tools to help prevent a nuclear war.

The approach argues for actively pursuing through diplomacy verifiable agreements among nuclear powers to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons. Furthermore, it advocates, among several other measures, the cancellation of the one trillion dollar plan to replace the current U.S. nuclear arsenal with “enhanced weapons.” Such expenditures will not make us safer but instead prioritize an arms race that deprives our nation of much needed programs for health care, housing and education.

Fifty members of the House of Representatives, including three of the five Connecticut representatives, have endorsed House Resolution 317, a bill that describes Back from the Brink’s objectives (Reps. DeLauro, Hayes, and Larson). Connecticut citizens are also trying to arrange a meeting with Senator Chris Murphy, who would be an important voice advocating for the companion resolution, Senate Resolution 323.

Please won’t you consider joining in the citizens’ campaign for a sane nuclear policy and the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons?

Sincerely, Ann Froines, Hamden, CT

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