In honor of May Day 2025, Victor Narro, project director at the UCLA Labor Center and career organizer, joined Tobias Higbie, UCLA IRLE Director and professor of labor and history, for a conversation on the significance of May Day in Los Angeles.
They discuss how May Day unites diverse coalitions to engage in a powerful act of collective resistance, share an inside look at the process of planning major direct action campaigns, and provide expert tips on how to maintain a sustainable career in social justice work.
Narro shares his invaluable expertise gained through over 30 years of organizing in Los Angeles in partnership with various groups including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). He reflects on his involvement reviving May Day actions in Los Angeles in the early 2000s and his ensuing decades of coordinating march logistics.
Narro and Higbie unpack how the evolving social, political and demographic landscape of Los Angeles has shaped organizing in recent decades and highlight the resilience and continuity of social change work. This conversation is especially relevant to anyone interested in movement building and Los Angeles labor history. The discussion concludes with practical advice for individuals and groups engaged in social justice work.
You can also watch the conversation on the IRLE’s YouTube channel.
Learn more about the history, meaning, and significance of May Day here.