By Marvella Muro

International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, was first recognized in the United States in 1894 to celebrate the reduction of 12-hour (or more) workdays to eight-hours. 126 years into the future, eight-hour workdays still do not apply to many, often due to the pressure of achieving “success”; unethical work environments that individuals with minimal options are forced to accept, or the necessity of working more than two jobs to make ends meet. 

On this May Day, SHG extends its gratitude to all essential workers, both documented and not, those who unfortunately have passed, and those who continue to risk their lives to pick or bag the food that we put on the table and to the medical field workers who care for the ill and those who have succumbed to illness; more specifically right now around the Coronavirus. We thank the teachers who deliver school supplies to students in an effort to keep them engaged and we thank all the warehouse and the manufacturing job workers who continue to build, pack, ship, and deliver items that we comfortably order from the safety of our homes. And finally, we are grateful to the street vendors who continue to keep our stomachs happy with tacos, elotes, and ezquites. They, like many undocumented individuals, are excluded from many services, forcing them to choose between their safety or providing for their families. 

In these past several weeks, topics of discussion in relation to the quarantine have focused on time, the act of slowing down, and self-reflection. Journalist, Frank Shyong, poignantly writes in a recent L.A. Times article, “Our current crisis is not just a pandemic, but also a human-made disaster of all the things we’ve grown accustomed to overlooking”. 

We know that life will not be the same, or go back to normal, once the quarantine is lifted, but as we welcome the “extra” time given, it’s our opportunity to address, acknowledge, and appreciate what we, as individuals, have overlooked and taken for granted. 

Marvella Muro is the Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics & Art.