May first unite! the mighty nintey nine

The raised fist, or the clenched fist, is a long-standing image of activism, often a symbol of social revolution and political solidarity. It is also a common symbol of anarchism and communism, but can also be used as a salute to express unity, strength, or resistance. The origin of the raised fist as a symbol is unclear. Its use in trade unionism, anarchism, and the labor movement had begun by the 1910s. William "Big Bill" Haywood, a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World, used the metaphor of a fist as something greater than the sum of its parts during a speech at the 1913 Paterson silk strike. The raised fist logo may represent unity or solidarity, generally with…   Read more

International Workers' Day, often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of laborers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labor movement and occurs every year on May Day (1 May). In 1889, May Day was chosen as the date for International Workers' Day by the socialists and communists of the Second International, as well as anarchists, labor activists, and leftists in general around the world, to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago and the struggle for an eight-hour working day. They adopted a resolution for a "great international demonstration" in support of working-class demands for the eight-hour day. The 1904 Sixth Conference of the Second Intern…   Read more