Keep on Keepin’ On: Onward to May Day!

By Felicia Gustin
After last month’s No Kings protests, many are asking, “So what?” But for those who see such outpourings as pointless or at best, merely symbolic, there are some important factors to consider. First and foremost: we need to grow our movement for racial and economic justice—we need more people! So a mobilization like No Kings is an entryway for people coming out for the first time, for people who are yet to be engaged. It’s a first step, and it’s our responsibility, as organizers, to move them to the next step.

Protests like No Kings also bring us inspiration: the chanting and singing, the bands and banners, the signs and speeches. Joy is inspiring as we join with the thousands of others (or in a small town, dozens of other like-minded people), who have come out because they share our opposition to the Trump regime and our vision for a society that does better for all who live in it. 

Protests inspire us and give us courage to carry on, to talk to family and friends, and to perhaps even begin working with an organization—a community or political home to ground and guide us is really important. SURJ is just one of hundreds of organizations that provide such a place. 

So after No Kings day,  instead of asking, “So what?,” the  better question is, “What now?”

And indeed, across the nation, hundreds of organizations and millions of people are preparing to come together with a common purpose: to stand against the billionaires who are waging war on working people in the United States and abroad.

This May 1st or May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, will be more than just another day of protest against Trump’s authoritarianism or a symbolic outpouring of solidarity for working people; it will be a day of non-cooperation, a day when people heed the call: No Work! No School! No Shopping.

What is Non-Cooperation?
Bay Resistance, a powerful local network of community organizations, unions, and neighborhood groups, has been providing trainings here in the Bay Area on non-cooperation as a precursor to May Day 2026. A mass training was held at Oakland Technical High School last October, and again at Mission High School in San Francisco this past March, each attracting some 1,000 participants.

Bay Resistance defines non-cooperation as “the deliberate withholding of labor, buying power, or other forms of participation in a government or other authority.” At the national level, May Day Strong, a coalition of dozens of organizations and unions, amplifies the call for a day of “No School, No Work, No Shopping” to “disrupt the violent billionaire takeover of our country and to put working families first.” 

We can see examples of non-cooperation throughout history: from the early 1900s, when non-cooperation helped build a fledgling labor movement, to the multiple times it was used during the Civil Rights movement, and to the anti-war movements from Vietnam to Iraq. 

More recently, we saw it in 2006, when a “Day Without an Immigrant” boycott and strike in over 200 U.S. cities brought sectors of the economy to a standstill as millions turned out for massive demonstrations and work stoppages. These non-cooperation actions breathed new life into International Workers’ Day, bringing home the holiday that’s celebrated around the world each year but was “Made in the USA.” 

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May Day: International Workers’ Day 2026

In that spirit, our next mass mobilization is centered on “No Work! No School! No Shopping!” What does that mean for each of us? It may mean stepping outside of our comfort zone. It may mean taking a risk. We first have to ask ourselves, “What are we willing to do to topple fascism?” And this isn’t just a rhetorical question. 

There are consequences for our inaction: from the continued bombing of Iran to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and now its destructive incursion into Lebanon; from the makeover of the U.S. military into evangelical crusaders to the dismantling of long-standing U.S. educational, health, legal, and cultural institutions that impact millions of lives here at home. Our economy is in shambles (but not for the billionaires). ICE is violently tearing apart families and communities. Most of our elected officials have proven useless or unwilling to challenge Trump as he breaks laws regularly and espouses his hopes to inflict war crimes and genocide.

So again, the question: “What are we willing to do to topple fascism?” 

On Friday, May 1st, workers across the country are being asked to take the day off. Leading this effort are folks who have the most at stake—working class communities of color, immigrants, undocumented people. They are most at risk and yet they’re taking this risk by exercising non-cooperation. Can their courage inspire us to stand in solidarity with those most directly impacted by Trump’s policies and authoritarianism?

We realize that in some cases taking the day off may not be feasible. But have you ever called in sick? Did your work place carry on without you? And if you can’t take the whole day off, can you take off a half day so you can join marches or rallies in the afternoon?

Likewise, students and educators are also being asked to not go to school or hold classes on that day. Again, there are many ways to do this. For example, we know that school funding is based on average daily enrollment. Maybe Friday can be a class fieldtrip. We have to think creatively. We have to think about what it’s going to take and how each of us are going to help our movement get there.

Many have said it’s going to take a General Strike. But that can’t happen overnight. And it can’t happen in a vacuum. We have to build for it, step by step. Action by action. Think of May Day 2026 as the opening salvo; we have to begin taking the steps to challenge ourselves to challenge the Trump regime.

And if you really can’t consider No Work or No School, everyone is capable of No Shopping—withholding our buying power for just one day. 

If millions of people do at least one of these things, the day will be more than a symbolic gesture against the rise of authoritarianism and the demise of democracy—it will shut things down and be felt across workplaces, schools and universities, government offices and businesses nationwide.

The May Day Strong coalition reminds us, “Today, when the billionaires break every rule, it’s going to take more than a rally to stop them.” This International Workers’ Day, we will be flexing our collective muscle in a tremendous day of non-cooperation—showing our unity and strength through a day of no work, no school, no shopping. We will be  saying: Workers Over Billionaires!

On that Friday, the Oakland Sin Fronteras coalition will be organizing an East Bay march and resource fair.. In San Francisco, Bay Resistance will be mobilizing people. Actions are in the works for other Bay Area cities as well as across the state and the nation. This 2026 May Day mobilization must be massive. Not just in its turnout, but also in its impact as non-cooperation delivers a mighty message of people power to the billionaires who rule this country. It’s up to every one of us! Let’s do this! 

Sign the May Day Pledge! 

Learn more about the Oakland Mobilization led by Sin Fronteras. Follow Sin Fronteras on Instagram

Join the SURJ Contingent at May Day in Oakland!

Learn about the San Francisco Mobilization from Bay Resistance.

Not in Oakland or San Francisco? Find a Mobilization Near You.