Thousands gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Thursday for a major May Day rally opposing policies tied to President Donald Trump. Demonstrators pushed for immigrant, labor and LGBTQ+ rights.
May 1 –- recognized globally as International Labor Day –- has become a focal point for grassroots organizing in the United States. Arizona protesters highlighted concerns about proposed Medicaid cuts, veteran care and attacks on civil rights.
Erica Connell is Arizona’s state liaison for 50-50-1, a protest movement formed in response to what it calls authoritarian shifts in U.S. governance.
"Everybody here has an issue – if it's Social Security, Medicare, women's rights, body autonomy – you name it, there's something that represents everybody," she said.
Chris Hill, a 20-year Army veteran, said he’s spent 35 years running health care organizations in and out of the military. He said the administration’s policies are making veteran care ineffective.
"I talked to a counselor. She was given an email 20 minutes before her group session with four veterans and told she no longer worked there. That's not the way we treat our veterans," he said.
Protesters said the stakes are high as they continue to organize nationally.
Elizabeth Brown says she attended the march to support immigrant families like her nephew’s.
“My nephew is married to someone from another country who's here legally, but with the way things are going, one day, they could pick her up and the children, we don't know," she said.
Organizers of the event said nearly 50 community groups were present and helped mobilize supporters.
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This time around, the festival is tied to funding from a Smithsonian initiative where each state is responsible for hosting a single folklife event this year, in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary. -
The 16th annual "Conservation in the West" poll by Colorado College revealed that voters across the political spectrum are concerned by the Trump administration's cuts to public land management. -
The BIA, which is responsible for overseeing trust responsibilities with 575 federally recognized tribes, focused on reducing its own workforce through mass layoffs and hiring freezes within the Interior Department – much like agencies elsewhere. -
Arizonans are speaking out after the Trump administration announced it would rescind the key scientific finding that allows the Environmental Protection Agency to put limits on carbon pollution. -
Last September, the Trump administration announced major cuts to Minority-Serving Institutions, including so-called Hispanic-Serving Institutions. There are 21 of those in Arizona.
