US activists plan May Day economic blackout: 'No school, no work, no shopping'
Labor unions, democratic organizations and community groups are organizing an economic blackout this year to commemorate May Day, International Workers Day, inspired by the economic blackout in Minnesota during the massive ICE operation in the state.
May Day Strong events are being planned across the US, with organizers calling for “no school, no work, no shopping”, in protest of government policies they say put billionaires’ needs above those of workers.
Neidi Dominguez, founding executive director of Organized Power in Numbers and an organizer, said that the number of May Day events this year had more than doubled compared with last year.
“Last year, there were about 1,300 May Day actions across the country. This year, we think there’s going to be more than 3,000,” said Dominguez. “Minneapolis really gave us the biggest push in real time to do it. We have a long way to go to take massive disruption actions like in other countries, where people will go on general strikes and they can shut down their country, but I think we’re getting more and more close to people having consciousness about their own power as workers.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/may-day-economic-blackout
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I disagree with the "No school" aspect.
I'm actually going to conduct a 1960s style "Teach-in" in my classroom all day on resistance to tyranny.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Don't let perfection be your (our) enemy.
From Indivisible.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221204736
https://indivisible.actionkit.com/mailings/view/125355
Momentum is building -- but this is about more than a single day of action. When a small business chooses to close this Friday, it’s not just about shutting down for the day -- it’s an ask to be part of a broad, pro-democracy, pro-worker movement. When you choose to withhold your money from big corporations on Friday or do your grocery shopping at a local market instead of a big chain later in the weekend, that makes a real impact -- you’re pouring money back into your community, not padding billionaires’ pockets.
We understand that not everybody can take every action this Friday, and we’re holding space for that nuance. The most important thing you can do on May Day is something that feels authentic to you that rejects and disrupts business as usual. If you can’t do it all, we only ask that you do what you can. Learn more about what that could look like on Indivisible’s May Day Participation Guide.
This all started small, because people took whatever action they could, while perfectionists in comfy offices were debating over shrimp cocktail, and still are.
Else, we are the shrimp and he's got the cocktail sauce.
Do whatever you can!
Response to Coventina (Original post)