A “Workers Over Billionaires Labor Day Rally” will be held in Durant on Monday, September 1, in front of the historic Market Square on First Avenue between Main and Evergreen.
The event will be from 10-12 noon, and is volunteer-organized by May Day Strong, a movement begun on May 1 this year.
The rally is “in support of efforts to fight a rising trend toward fascism in this country,” said Pat Notley, chair of the Bryan County Democratic Party (BCDP) and one of the Labor Day event’s organizers.
Rally-goers are encouraged to bring signs with political messages, but Notley asks that these be “family friendly.”
Examples of appropriate messages are: “Build the Society We All Deserve,” “Stop the billionaire takeover of government,” “Fully fund schools,” “Health care and housing for all,” “Stop attacks on immigrants” (or Black people, Indigenous people, or trans people), “Invest in people, not wars,” “Protect and defend Medicaid,” or “Protect and defend Social Security.”
Bottled water will be available for attendees. Organizers request that the event be peaceful and that no weapons be brought to it.
Notley suggests that those who plan to attend should register their attendance by typing “workers over billionaires durant ok” into a search engine.
“Registering ahead of time will help us know how many people to plan for,” she added.