Oakland Sin Fronteras hosts art build ahead of May Day

Oakland, CA – On Thursday, April 23, more than 40 people gathered for an art build to prepare for Oakland’s upcoming May 1 rally, march, and resource fair commemorating International Workers’ Day. The event was hosted by Eastside Arts Alliance and organized by Oakland Sin Fronteras, a coalition of over 20 organizations and workers’ unions.

Member organizations include Eastside Arts Alliance, Community Service Organization of Oakland (CSO Oakland), Oakland Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (OAARPR), Trabajadores Unidos Workers United (TUWU), Bay Area Cuba Solidarity Network, Bay Resistance, California Nurses Association, National Union of Healthcare Workers, SEIU 1020, Alameda Labor Council, Speak Out, East Bay DSA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and others.

“This year, May Day is especially important,” said Danny Celaya from CSO Oakland. “May 1, 2026 marks 20 years since the historic 2006 mass protests for immigrant rights, when over 3 million across the U.S. rose up against the anti-immigrant ‘Sensenbrenner Bill,’ which attempted to make it a felony to be undocumented or to assist undocumented folks. Those protests defeated the bill and revived May Day in this country. We’re excited to be helping organize this alongside the incredible folks at Oakland Sin Fronteras. We’re keeping the fight going by demanding the release of Bay Area activist and tattoo artist Guillermo Medina Reyes from the for-profit detention center in California City, owned by CoreCivic.”

CSO Oakland is a member of the Legalization for All Network (L4A)

The movement is experiencing a powerful wave of new, young activists, as seen by the many high school walkouts nationwide protesting ICE. At Oakland’s Art Build, that trend continued as high school students made up the majority of attendees, painting banners, signs and creating bucket drums alongside longtime organizers.

“The reason it’s important to involve youth in art builds and help them see how they can be part of May Day is that this generation is witnessing everything we see online and in the news. They want to express themselves, and we’re facilitating safe spaces for that expression and practice. They can take up the baton and move into movement spaces because we need to pass the baton to the next generation. One of the best ways to do that is by having them see themselves in the roles we play today,” said a member of 67 Sueños, a local immigrant rights organization focused on supporting undocumented and mixed-status youth in Oakland.

Beyond immigrant rights, Oakland’s May Day events will also demand an end to U.S. aggression overseas—especially urgent given this year’s U.S.-Israeli bombardments on Iran, Palestine and Lebanon, as well as U.S. attacks on Venezuela and Cuba. They also call for stronger workers’ rights and class solidarity, an end to state violence; and the return of loved ones from prisons, jails and detention centers.

“Solidarity has two parts: unity and struggle. There are many different people represented here today, but we are united in our mutual commitment to justice,” said Noah Teller from OAARPR. “The Oakland Alliance is here to demand justice for Jalani Lovett as part of a broader struggle against state violence. When one of us wins, we all win.”

Music and art will be central to the program, with several performances scheduled, including within the march. Attendees of the art build also took part in a drum line rehearsal to keep the march organized and motivated.

“El arte da vida al movimiento. Por eso seguimos creando y luchando, para ver florecer el barrio de Oakland. (Art gives life to the movement. That is why we keep creating and fighting, to see our Oakland neighborhood flourish),” said Angie Lopez from Eastside Arts Alliance.

Folks can attend Oakland Sin Fronteras’ May Day on Friday, May 1 from 2 to 7 p.m. at Fruitvale Plaza, located next to the Fruitvale BART station. A resource fair will open at 2 p.m., followed by the first program at 3 p.m.. The march will take place from 4 to 5 p.m., with a second program running from 5 p.m. until closing around 7 p.m.

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