Gray Panthers at May Day March for Immigrant Rights

May 1, 2006 was a May Day we will not forget for a very long time. The anger of millions over the criminalization of immigrants and those who worked with them quickly spread to questions of whether borders were legitimate, whether imperialism was legitimate, and even whether capitalism itself was legitimate. Many marchers were particularly inspired by the theme we shouted from our bullhorn: "Queremos un mundo sin fronteras! - We want a world without borders!" We passed the bullhorn around and many of us in our area led chants.

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Gray Panthers had agreed to meet at the California cable care turn-around, but there were so many people crowded together that some Gray Panthers walked right by us and didn't see us setting up our banner. People said they liked that our banner attacked both the openly racist Sensenbrenner criminalization plan and also the liberal Guest Worker plans that would hold immigrant workers in legal limbo for years, subject to the same exploitation as today's undocumented immigrants. Many people did not know of Feinstein's sponsorship of a plan to offer undocumented high school students green cards if they join the military. Finally, we cannot talk about immigration without talking about NAFTA and other aspects of US policy causing poverty and dictatorship in Latin America, forcing immigration to this country. Picture by GP photographer Patricia Jackson.

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The overwhelming immediate demand was complete and total amnesty for present, past, and future immigrants. There is nothing business or government is considering that can satisfy that demand, so this is a head-on confrontation between our needs and aspirations and government. But then this is what May Day is about.