People ask me all the time how I stay optimistic these days. I think optimism is a survival strategy that requires us to first be real about what’s going wrong, and to next engage with pathways to making things better. I don’t know anything more energizing than that. That kind of empowerment sizzles beneath my skin, like a secret magic I carry, forged by a disciplined intimacy with abundance and therefore an unbreakable belief in the real attainability of gorgeous futures.
When it feels like the world is burning, it’s so important to stay connected to the efforts that remind us of how glorious the world can be; of how beauty and dignity exist where we cultivate them; of how, in the face of systems that seek to destroy and control and disenfranchise, generations of people have cultivated survival and even flourishing.
I always come back to this: the only way out of where we are is through. The only way from here, where we are, to there, where we want to be, is by all of us participating in the journey — not personally or individually, but collectively.
So if even a part of you — or maybe all of you — is like, “Something is wrong in the world right now,” and if even a part of you — or if all of you — believes that not only do we deserve better than this, but because you have experienced proof of compassion and equity and abundance, you will settle for nothing less in life, then listen up: You are my people. And there are so many more like us out there.
Engaging in collective power is my secret sauce to staying sane, to finding wellness in unwell times. I am healed everyday by learning, imagining, participating. By doing so out in the world. Out with others. Out where divine rage and rebellious joy and visionary futures dance together.
You can get in on that intoxicating energy with me this week. Friday is International Workers’ Day, or May Day 2026: a rally and a strike across the world — and across the country right here in America — in support of everyday people power.
This is a groundswell moment, y’all! So today, let’s dig into everything you need to know for Friday.
Let’s start with a quick snippet of history.
May Day — celebrated every May 1st around the world as International Workers’ Day — has its roots in one of the most consequential moments in American labor history. In May of 1886, over 300,000 workers across America went on strike demanding an eight-hour workday, because they were regularly working 10-, 12-, and even 16-hour days. 40,000 rallied in Chicago under the rallying cry: eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will.
On May 4th, 1886, a demonstration in Haymarket Square, Chicago turned into a massacre when police opened fire on the crowd and a bomb exploded. The controversial witch hunt that followed ended in the hanging of four labor activists.
“What became known as the Haymarket Affair set off a wave of xenophobia and anti-labor sentiments not only in Chicago, but also throughout the rest of the country. Labor organizers, immigrants, and radicals were arrested by police around the U.S. In August of 1886, eight men, known as the “Chicago Eight,” were charged with murder in connection with the bombing. They had become primary suspects due to their political beliefs and pro-labor activities, even though some of those charged had not [even] attended the rally that evening.
The ensuing indictments and trial were controversial. Many believed both the jury and judge were biased, and there was little evidence presented in court that linked the eight men to the bombing. Regardless, on August 20, 1886, the jury found the defendants guilty and Judge Joseph E. Gary sentenced seven of the eight to death. News of the Haymarket Affair and the subsequent court case extended far beyond the city of Chicago. Its impact was felt throughout the world.”
(University of Illinois, Illinois History and Lincoln Collections)
So after all that horror, did the Haymarket Affair immediately lead to the desired 8-hour workday? No. Those who like to exploit labor don’t give up so easily.
But you know what the Haymarket Affair did do? It created the foundation of a persistent labor movement that then did indeed go on to win not just the 8-hour workday, but also the weekend, the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, minimum wage, the right to unionize, workplace safety standards, an end to child labor, employee benefits, anti-discrimination laws, and so much more.
In the immediate, the 1886 Haymarket Affair went global. Three years after the Haymarket Affair, the international labor movement designated May 1st as a global day of solidarity in its memory: International Workers’ Day. People around the world celebrate the day as a commitment to uplifting the lives of working class people everywhere.
I meaaaaaan, how empowering does this look?!:
But get this: here in the U.S., our government created a separate Labor Day in September — specifically to distance the holiday from its radical roots (how crazy is that?). This is why most of us Americans don’t know that the workers’ holiday that the rest of the world celebrates was born right in Chicago.
In just a couple days, on Friday, May 1, 2026, workers, students, and families across the country are taking to the streets — and many are going further, participating in a general work stoppage: no school, no work, no shopping. The mobilization is anchored by a network of hundreds of organizations demanding “workers over billionaires.” They’re calling for:
taxing the rich
protecting Medicaid and Social Security
fully funded schools
healthcare and housing for all
an end to attacks on immigrants and BIPOC communities
And it’s not just fluff. Over 100 pieces of legislation are already in motion connected to this agenda. It’s a reminder that May Day was never just a commemoration — it’s always been an organizing call.
To the streets we go!
If no work or no school is financially impossible for you, then no shopping it is. If you have to buy something for whatever reason, buy from a local business — bonus points if you pay in cash.
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
The idea is to disrupt business as usual, especially because right now “business as usual” is the fascist slide — and none of us want to be ensnared in its oily grip.
This is a unifying chance to DO something about the things that you feel aren’t working right now. It’s a chance to add your voice to a rising tide. It’s a chance to feel the magic of the groundswell in your very bones, and to add your magic to the movement.
May Day is an example of collective power in action. It’s a reminder that collective power works. The history of May Day itself proves that. It’s also a reminder that political movements for a better world have always been led by working class people and by the most marginalized, and it’s up to those of us with any ounce of privilege to not just think but act in solidarity. Because when the baseline of society rises, it does so for all of us.
Just imagine a world where we tax billionaire wealth, so we can:
end child hunger,
provide free pre-K for every kid,
protect Medicaid and Social Security,
fund schools,
expand affordable housing nationwide,
cancel all medical debt in the country,
invest in renewable energy,
and so much more.
A society where it’s just a given that everyone is housed, fed, and educated? Where people can count on clean air, water, and food? Where resources circulate amongst us all rather than stagnating in the hands of the few? Having a society like would mean everyone can contribute their fullest potential to people and planet. Think of what we can be, what we can do, if we distribute our resources in such a way! Think of the science, the art, the media, the architecture, the philosophy, the trades, the lives we could live if everyone got firsts before anyone got seconds. I long for that societal glow-up. Especially because I know it’s not just possible — it’s pragmatic. It’s an investment in our collective future, one where the cancer of hoarding billions is cured by the wisdom of community investment, wealth rebalancing, and luxurious public commons.
So grab your friends, your coworkers, your partner, your neighbor — whoever — and make your May Day plan.
Craft a cheeky out-of-office.
Support a local business.
Find a rally near you.
Breathe some fresh air.
And get drunk on the vision for what the world can be, when everyone’s needs are met, when safety and health are the baseline of society, when we are free together.
Find your local May Day action here.
The GARMI Groundswell’s vision is to present commentary on current events that’s honest about the crises we’re experiencing, while also showcasing the ways in which more and more everyday people are rising up together.
This is a space for political literacy and civic empowerment. Because things are scary. And: how can we learn from, support, and join those who are doing something about it?
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