About 150 people marched through the Chinatown-International District and downtown Seattle on May 1—as part of an annual May Day March organized by El Comité.
The crowd started at St. Mary’s Church, and stopped along south King Street for speeches by state Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos and JM Wong of Massage Parlor Outreach Project.
Wong spoke of the violence that has been inflicted on the Asian American community—and an insistence on a better future.
Santos said, “The struggles of today are not new but, rather, enjoin us to every racial and ethnic group…For APIs, this fight for freedom, justice, and civil rights are largely interconnected by racial animus, xenophobia, and economic conditions.”
Santos told the crowd, “Today, your presence in the International District shows that the people’s movement is more united than ever. Today, you march with and for one another. Today, you march with the spirits of those who fought before us for they are here, all around us, joining in their ongoing struggle for freedom, justice, and civil rights. Today, you march for your future and for mine . . . because we are stronger, together.”