May Day: What it is and how to participate

I apologize for the delay. I like to give fair warning for you to be able to participate in events, but this week has gotten away from me. May 1st is May Day, also known as International Workers' Day. On this day in 2025, protesters across the United States will gather to show solidarity against how the current administration is treating its working class.

This is being called the National Day of Action. Learn more at the May Day Strong website. On social media, you can follow news on it with the hashtag #MayDayStrong.

The purpose of May Day is to demand from our government a country that puts our families over their fortunes—public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, prosperity over free market politics. A core principle May Day is a commitment to nonviolence; no acting out in aggression and de-escalating confrontations if they happen.

There are thousands of gatherings and protests scheduled for May Day 2025; you can find the one closest to you at the Mobilize website. I know this is a work day and a school day; you will find many local events are taking place in the late afternoon/early evening, so you hopefully can attend at least a portion of it and be counted.

These protests have been brief and in general, quite peaceful and positive. I have attended in D.C. as well as my city, and each one I have left motivated and inspired. All I have needed is comfortable shoes, and maybe a sign, some water, or a mask. You don't need to prepare for a protest march and you don't have to stay all day.

While I would love to be in D.C. for this event, I, too, have a job and a kid in school as well as an evening board meeting for a committee I am on. The Mobilize site let me know of an event convenient to my schedule where I can be for at least a half hour before heading to my meeting. We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable to make any positive change.

And change is needed. Just yesterday, our president tried to bully a journalist into lying to be “nice” to him. U.S. citizens in Oklahoma were raided by ICE while they were sleeping, forced out in the rain in their underwear, their computers, phones, and life savings taken as “evidence,” even though they were not the intended targets and have United States birth certificates. The S&P 500 and Dow posted their third consecutive month in the red, their longest monthly losing streak since 2023. I could go on, but I am either preaching to the choir or annoying those who choose to get their news through a filter.

It's time to be uncomfortable. It's time to curb spending, vote with your dollars, get off your apps, and use your phone to call your representatives again, connect with your neighbors to support your community, and have an overscheduled day or two a month to show up and defend this country we all love so much.

Peaceful protesting is patriotic. The best way to fight this administration is with community support and empathy for your fellow citizens.

If the news is overwhelming and you feel like you're being bombarded and becoming numb by it, consider turning off your notifications and setting up a rule in your inbox to direct all news emails to a designated folder, rather than your inbox. And then consider a source that will compile news for you in a daily or weekly digest.

Currently, many news-based personalities are becoming increasingly opinionated to stay at the top of feeds. Algorithms favor sensationalism; it causes otherwise rational, fair news sources to become clickbait to reach their audiences. I encourage you to switch up your sources from time to time so that you receive balanced and accurate information. Do share in the comments where you find your news as it may be a great option for another in the Wardrobe Oxygen community.

I know not all like my political content, but Wardrobe Oxygen is affected by the world around us. Business-wise, due to government actions, brands are already affecting their pricing, their promotions, and budgets for influencer campaigns and website ads. Many of you have shared that you are curbing spending to prepare for the changes coming to our finances and shopping habits. If you have not yet been affected, it is coming and I want to keep you informed, prepared, and a smart shopper and spender.

I care about all of you, even if we do not have the same beliefs, and I want Wardrobe Oxygen to be a valuable resource for years to come. While these posts may not feel relevant now, just as my posts about curly hair or shoes for plantar fasciitis may not be relevant, you can scroll by, and you may find out sooner than later that you may want to revisit. I thank you for reading and your support and will continue to have a balanced mix of content on this site, with the overwhelming focus be fashion and style.