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Marches will call for PA to use American Rescue Plan funding to help struggling families, and push Congress to establish pathway to citizenship
On Sunday, May 1 Make the Road Pennsylvania, the state’s largest Latinx organization, and partners across the state will hold International Workers Day rallies and marches in Allentown, Reading, and Philadelphia to urge state and federal leaders to take immediate action to truly support struggling working families. The events will call on the Pennsylvania state legislature to invest unused American Rescue Plan funds in Pennsylvania families, and urge Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship to support the essential workers who got the country through the pandemic.
American Rescue Plan funding from the federal government was distributed to speed up the country’s recovery from the COVID pandemic and the ongoing recession. Following Governor Wolf’s plan to spend the $1.7B Pennsylvania received, rallies will call for specific investments in what Pennsylvania families truly need to thrive and survive in the wake of the pandemic: A living wage, fair and equitable funding for public schools, drivers licenses for all, funding for the Whole Home Repairs Act to help homeowners make necessary repairs, and a permanent rent relief fund to prevent homelessness.
As 74% of unauthorized immigrants are essential workers, many of whom worked throughout the COVID pandemic, immigrant organizations will also urge President Biden to honor his campaign promise to establish a pathway to citizenship, which will benefit 170,000 undocumented immigrants in Pennsylvania and call for closure of immigrant detention centers.
Said Patty Torres, Organizing Director for Make the Road Pennsylvania:
“American Rescue Plan funding offers our state a once in a generation chance to address the most pressing needs of Pennsylvania families, and this money cannot go unspent while families struggle to meet their basic needs. Right now, the legislature has a choice to make: Ignore the immediate needs of struggling families to give tax cuts to the billionaires, or put in place the popular policies that are good for working families and for our state and economy: a living wage, fully-funded schools, drivers licenses for all, and a permanent rent relief fund. Our legislators must use this opportunity to help the people the pandemic hit hardest—working families. Investing in our families now will benefit our entire state in the long run. ”
Allentown
WHAT: May Day rally and march
WHEN: Sunday, May 1 – 11:00 a.m. ET till 2:00 p.m. ET
WHERE:
- March will begin at 7th and Hamilton Streets Allentown, PA 18101 – The Soldiers and Sailors Monument
- March will end at 215 N Ninth St. Allentown, PA 18102 – The Holy District Brethren in Christ Church
WHO:
- Make the Road Pennsylvania
- Lehigh Valley Stands Up
- POWER Interfaith Lehigh Valley
- Working Families Party
- SEIU
- Allentown City Councilmember Josh Siegel
Reading
WHAT: May Day rally and march
WHEN: Sunday, May 1 – 12:00 p.m. ET
WHERE:
- Corner of 5th St and Penn St.
- March will do a stop at Reading School District, 800 Washington St, Reading, PA 19601
- March will end at Berks County Courthouse, 633 Court St, Reading, PA 19601
WHO:
- Make the Road PA
- Berks Stands Up
- Shut Down Berks
- Sunrise Movement
- Berks DSA
- Union Dominicana
- Rep. Manny Guzman
- Mayor Eddie Moran
Philadelphia
WHAT: May Day rally and march including music, theater, dance, shopping, and poetry
VISUALS:
- Performances of pre-Hispanic dance with the group Kalpulli Kamaxtle Xiuhcóatl
- Performances of regional Mexican music with the group Esencia Norteña and hip-hop artist Andy Dircio
- Handicrafts and traditional clothing for sale at the Mercado de Latinas
WHEN: Sunday, May 1 – 11:00 a.m. ET
WHEN/WHERE:
- 11:00 a.m. – March will begin at 5th and Market St. – Independence Park People’s Plaza
- 1:30 p.m. – March will stop at 9th and Washington St.
- 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. International Workers’ Day celebration featuring food, music, local artists, performances, and cultural activities.
9th Street will be closed from Federal Avenue to Washington St.
WHO:
- El PARO Philly, Planning Committee https://m.facebook.com/El-
Paro-Philly-103952055624163/ - Make the Road PA
- Juntos
- Puentes
- MILPA
- 215 People’s Alliance
- New Sanctuary Movement
- Woori Center
- Theater Horizon
- Aclamo
- Alizana
- Unidos Para Servir Norristown
- Unidos Contra Covid PHL
- Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educacion (CCATE)
- CATA Farmworkers Support Committee
- Domestic Workers Alliance
- Peruvian Americans Together Here
- ROC Pennsylvania
- Gente de Venezuela, Casa de Venezuela
- The Philadelphia Workers Solidarity Network
Make the Road Pennsylvania is the largest Latinx organization in the state of Pennsylvania, dedicated to organizing the working class in Latinx communities, building power for justice.
Information provided to TVL by:
Melissa McCleery
