May Day, also known as International Workers Day, recognizes the historic movement for labor rights around the globe. But this May 1, people in Petersburg joined thousands nationwide to stand not only in support of the working class, but also against what they say is responsible for terminating jobs, funding and uprooting the lives of their colleagues and neighbors: the Trump Administration.
About 60 locals rallied in the pouring rain at Buschmann Park in downtown Petersburg. Among the gathering, clad in Grundens jackets, was a sea of signs and flags; music blared near a snack table underneath the open shelter.
David Holmes, 77, served in the Coast Guard for nearly three decades and was stationed all over the world. One side of his sturdy wooden sign stated “FREEDOM”; the other side read “DEMOCRACY.”
“This democracy is very important, because I’ve seen what happens in other countries,” he said. “I think anybody that stands up for it is doing the right thing.”
He said he’s glad he was able to be part of the rally, and hoped it helped.
Live music got the gathering’s attention, and one of the organizers, Chelsea Tremblay, gave a brief speech on the history of May Day alongside the current political climate.
“Today, the fight looks different, but it continues,” she said. “Instead of trade barons, we have tech bros. Laws that had been passed, agencies created by Congress are being stripped away with no legislative action. The fight for the dignity of our fellow neighbors continues.”
Fellow organizer Malena Marvin condemned job losses and federal cuts, linking them to decisions by billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.
“We are here to stand with workers in our community and across Alaska … workers who are fearful about their jobs, and what Elon Musk and Donald Trump will unleash next,” she said. “We are here to stand with you, because we are stronger when we stand together. And it is together that we, in Alaska, in Petersburg and across the state today, are calling on Senator Dan Sullivan, Senator Lisa Murkowski and Representative Nick Begich to stand with us, to stand with our workers, and to stand with Petersburg, Alaska.”
Marvin explained that, just in the small island community of Petersburg, up to a third of local U.S. Forest Service jobs were slashed by Musk and the president’s administration; a public health worker lost their job due to funding cuts when Musk “gutted” the Centers for Disease Control and Alaska lost millions of dollars in previously awarded grants and federal spending; the local library reduced hours after losing $10,000 in federal support; proposed cuts to public broadcasting threatens the town’s community radio station; funding for infrastructure projects in the community are also on the chopping block, jeopardizing local businesses and jobs; and cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s funding jeopardizes access to critical weather and fisheries data that the fishing town’s fleet relies on.
After listing each impact, Marvin rallied a call to action upon Alaska’s Congressional Delegation:
“Y’all took an oath to uphold our Constitution, and our Constitution is super clear: The power of the purse is in Congress’s hands, not the executive branch,” Marvin said. “You took an oath … We in Petersburg ask you to stop allowing the executive branch to steal the powers our constitution afforded to you as our duly elected Congress … And if you’re not listening to us, we’re going to keep getting louder. Are we going to keep getting louder?”
“Yes!” the gathering responded in unison.
A local band of women named the Uke’a Ladies performed the song “Imagine” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Band member Rozanne Plew said the group picked the song to play at the rally because “it’s more of a hopeful song … we can live in peace.”
Plew said the takeaway isn’t about choosing sides.
“I don’t know what everybody does here, but they all recognize that we have a problem, and we’re all working to fix it,” she said. “We’re not playing here: ‘We’re good, they’re bad, we’re good, they’re bad.’ That’s not what it is at all. At least for me … can’t speak for everybody, but that helps me keep that in the front of my mind.”
Band member Sarah Hofstetter agreed, stating that it’s about support.
“Imagine a web going out from the strength of people coming together in a hard time … helping to build community, not take it apart,” she added.
The gathering sang along with the Uke’a Ladies for the final verse while rain pattered on the roof above.
After about an hour, people packed up their soggy signs, American flags, and said their goodbyes as the May Day rally drew to a close.
A community group called Petersburg Friends and Neighbors organized the gathering. A jar on the snack table collected donations for Humanity In Progress, a local nonprofit providing access to basic needs, which raised over $500 in cash by the end of the rally.
