A crowd of protesters from multiple corners of San José came out into the streets of downtown to show support for workers’ rights on May Day.
May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, is an annual holiday that recognizes the international working class, according to an April 29 press release from the American Postal Workers Union.
May Day was first established in 1884 in Chicago when delegates at the American Federation of Labor’s convention adopted a resolution urging all workers to strike two years later to advocate for an eight-hour work week, according to another press release from the American Postal Workers Union.
Two years later on May 1, 1886, approximately 340,000 workers took the day and peacefully marched in the streets across the country, according to the same source.
On May 1 this year, protesters chanting and holding signs marched from La Placita Tropicana on King Road and Story Road to San José City Hall, which is about one-third of a mile away from San José State.
Uriel Magdaleno, a community organizer for the Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, passed out flyers in the early evening to community members who were curious about the protest.
“First and foremost, (people) celebrate International Workers’ Day in almost every country besides the United States. It’s a national holiday,” Magdaleno said. “We have our annual march in protest every year.”
In 2006, more than 50,000 community members in San José marched from the same intersection at King Road and Story Road to express their opinions on workers’ rights and immigration rights, according to a May 2, 2006, Spartan Daily article.
Magdaleno said the support for workers’ rights is strongly connected to immigration rights.
“(In) East Side (San José), a lot of immigrant workers aren’t wanting to go to work,” Magdaleno said. “They’re afraid to go to work. They’re afraid to have their children go to school. So, we’re trying to struggle against that, fight back against it, and show that we’re not intimidated.”
Nearly 43% of San José’s population is foreign-born, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Rachel Abeyta, a fourth-year sociology student at SJSU, was one of the protesters who marched from La Placita Tropicana to San José City Hall.
“I think it’s incredibly important to make sure that union power is there and especially student power since we are the future of the job industry,” Abeyta said. “(We’re) making sure that it's clear that, ‘Hey, we’re here, we’re loud and we're not happy with how things are going.’ ”
Abeyta, who also came to the protest as a student organizer for Students for Quality Education, said around 30 other students from SJSU came to the protest.
Students for Quality Education is a student organization at SJSU with students fighting for higher education that is more accessible and affordable, according to its Instagram page.
Abeyta said she came to the protest because she is not happy with how President Donald J. Trump’s administration is governing the country.
“Several people are in danger: trans people, immigrants, workers, women, people of color, everyone that does not exist (as) white, straight male, (are) in danger,” Abeyta said.
On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports,” demanding that the Secretary of State ensure the International Olympic Committee enforce eligibility to participate in sports dependent on biological sex, not gender identity.
Trump is also demanding to take away funding away from educational institutions that violate this executive order.
Abeyta herself identifies as a feminine-presenting trans person and is mixed race, being white and Hispanic.
“I could see my ability to get married in the future being taken away,” Abeyta said. “I can see my bodily autonomy being removed. I'm also a student organizer on this campus, which puts a huge target on my back.”
Around 3.8% of residents in San José identify with the LGBT community, according to a 2021 data report from UCLA.
“May Day will always be about the workers,” Abeyta said. “Workers are what hold this country up. So this was definitely about that, but also because of what's happening in our political climate and because of the Trump administration. It's really important that we use any platform to voice out what we're seeing, and honestly, the blatant fascism that's within our current administration.”
Around 65.3% of residents in San José are employed, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The average median household income in the city is $136,229.
Daniel Nguyen, a first-year sociology student, was not one of the protesters when he was walking on the sidewalk down King Road when the other protesters marched towards Alum Rock Avenue.
“I do sympathize with the protesters since some of them are targeted by the Trump administration and the government,” Nguyen said. “Both Democrats and Republicans have failed to address any problems in the nation.”
In April 2021, former President Joe Biden’s approval rating was at 57%, according to a poll from Gallup.
In April 2025, Trump’s job approval ratings was at 44%, according to the same poll.
James Chan, a community member who lives near SJSU, marched down King Road with handmade displays of Trump and Elon Musk dressed as prisoners.
In Chan’s two-wheel gray cart, two models of Trump and Elon stand back to back. Trump was dressed in a black and white jumpsuit, while Musk wore an orange jumpsuit.
“I made them both inmates because Trump has 34 felonies, and actually should (have) had a lot more,” Chan said. “If you or I had 34 felonies, you can bet we're wearing an orange jumpsuit . . . Musk is pretty much the most corrupt liar on the face of the Earth and enabled all this.”
Chan is not a representative for a particular organization, but he sometimes comes to protests dressed up as Trump or Musk.
On President’s Day, Chan was dressed up as Trump with a mask, an orange jumpsuit and cuffs, according to a Feb. 18 article from the Spartan Daily.
He’s been dressing up as both the 45th and 47th president since Trump’s first term in the White House.
“Sometimes I’ve worn these costumes and dressed like these clowns and (gone) up and down Santa Clara Street at night, when there’s a big youth element on Friday and Saturday night,” Chan said. “(I’m) just trying to get people to think and realize what’s happening for the roles, and that maybe they should get a little more involved too.”
Chan, who has two children in their late 20s, also said he joined the protest because he’s worried about community members who are part of the younger generations.
Around 65,192 people in San José are between the ages of 20-24 years old, according to the same data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
“I worry for all you, at the rate these clowns are hurting the world and the planet,” Chan said. “What’s going to be left when you're old like me? And I feel real bad for that. So anything I can do to help shine some light on that I will.”
