The Haymarket Friday, May 1 5:30-10:30pm Douglas Park Band Shell West Jefferson Street Free

Labor struggles are remembered during a gathering in Springfield this Friday featuring speakers Al Pieper, retired field organizer from SEIU Local 73, and Dr. Richard Gilman-Opalsky, assistant professor of political philosophy at the University of Illinois at Springfield, and the music of Tom Irwin, Reel Channel Cats, Gypsy Collabo and the Sarah Schneider Band. The Haymarket Affair, or as it is otherwise known, Haymarket Massacre, took place on May 4, 1886 at the Haymarket Square in Chicago. What began as a rally in support of striking workers trying to acquire eight-hour work days, turned horribly wrong when a bomb was thrown at police. Eight officers and an unknown number of civilians died as a result of the blast and ensuing gunfire. Subsequently, eight anarchists were tried for murder, four put to death, while one committed suicide in prison. Haymarket celebrations are held around the world each May in remembrance and support in the effort for fair labor practices and treatment.