What’s Left of May Day?
At Al Jazeera America, Nathan Schneider discusses the populist roots of May Day, and Occupy Wall Street’s attempt to bring that history back two years ago. While the planned strike fell short of Occupiers’ dreams, Schneider notes, “As inequality widens and our democracy weakens, we are losing the spirit of May Day, and suffering the consequences. Occupy’s May Day didn’t catch on as some hoped, but what it aspired to was right: an organized population powerful enough to confront an entrenched elite, and hopeful enough to celebrate democracy in the streets.”