Be it Fight for 15, teacher strikes, tree-sits in the path of pipelines, outcries against police brutality or the #metoo movement, it's clear that tensions are high and the gaping chasms between the haves and have nots, the oppressors and the oppressed, the rich and poor – are more and more visible to those on the losing side.
It's getting harder for the powers that be to make excuses for gross inequalities – the pressure of oppression is reaching a breaking point – and the question is, who will break??
And I'm no blind optimist – more so a realist with hope and an appetite for historical connections.
Without history to explain the present, we move into the future blind – we build on foundations we know nothing about, rehashing old mistakes, unaware of what worked and what didn't.
That's why it's so important to recognize and learn from May 1st – because what was born in 1886 gave rise not only to that eight hour work day and weekend that you enjoy today but to worker fights worldwide - and workers rights suppression here at home.
