The last Justice mission of The Nightwatchman's 2008 Justice Tour was to help the SEIU (Service Employees International Union:
www.SEIU.org), highlight the importance of reforming our broken immigration system, as well as organize to regain the opportunity for the American Dream for ALL American workers. The SEIU is getting more political, and getting out the VOTE - as workers need to realize that in unity, their power can overtake the very corporations that have been screwing them over.
We blew into Chicago on a COLD Monday night (yes, it's tough to pack for multi-weathered cities) and headed straight for the deep-dish pizza at Giordano's. Mmmmm. After that, we actually had a day off (!), which I spent writing, getting checked at the Northwestern E.R., and taking in some gorgeous sites in Chicago's Grant Park (Home of this summer's Lalapalooza!).
The official Justice duties kicked in with an early morning (and freezing cold!) SEIU Press Conference in Federal Plaza, which would host the next day's May Day Rally, that we would also be a part of. The bottom line is ALL workers have the right to pursue the American Dream - and it ties in well with the Living Wage Campaign we learned about in Asheville - if you work, you should not be poor. Obama said that, and it is probably a big reason why the SEIU is endorsing him for President. As a motto of theirs goes, "Today we march, tomorrow we vote - today, tomorrow has arrived."
Immigration is a big part of workers' rights. The immigrant community (which ALL Americans are part of, unless you're Native) has always been a huge part in how we make change in this country, and as we are a country of immigrants (like the Steve Earle song says), we need to look out for each other. The SEIU does this by being a very well organized union - but we can all do this in our own ways. Right?
Tom and his Mother, Mary, huddled together for warmth as they listened to the speakers, all of whom were fired up and ready for the next day's huge march. After all, Chicago was the birthplace of May Day as a LABOR day in America (though the feds still don't recognize it as such), with the Haymarket Square riots, where workers fought for the right to an 8 hour work day. People DIED for your 9-5 job, which is a good thing to remember when you're hating it. Today, May 1st takes the symbolism of that day in history to focus on immigrant rights, and again, our tour's purpose - HUMAN RIGHTS and SOCIAL JUSTICE!
Amid the backdrop of signs, ("Marcha! Primero De Mayo!" "Stop The Hate!" "Comprehensive Immigrant Reform!") Tom spoke about how he comes from a Italian-Irish-Kenyan background, and how it was exciting to be back home in Chicago to participate in the march among "the tapestry of workers." He kept it brief, thankfully as it was brrrrr-cold, and reminded us of a line from a Billy Bragg song, "There is power in the union." The reporters snapped photos, and we took off to find some hot chocolate.
Later in the day was The Justice Tour members' participation in the SEIU's "Walk A Day In My Shoes" program (
www.walka dayinmyshoes2008.com). For us, that meant a visit to the Bellwood, IL home of Faith Arnold, a daycare provider. Tom, Wayne Kramer, Breckin Meyer, Boots Riley, and the Gronner documentation contingent took a van out to the suburbs to see what a day in the shoes of Miss Faith (as the darling little kids call her) is like.
Illinois was the FIRST state in the country to have its child care providers band together (in 2005) and unionize with the SEIU. We were given purple baseball hats with the union logo to tout this fact. It makes absolute sense that daycare workers should be unionized - to guarantee good health care, living wages and quality lives. I mean, don't you want the people taking care of your own precious children (while you're working yourself) to be in a good place, to better inform, enrich and educate your kids' lives? YES, you do. Another no-brainer on this tour, at least for us, but one that also needs help getting there.
We all crammed into the little house, that was all decorated with a child's eye in mind, to meet Miss Faith and all her little charges. In no time flat, we each had a kid in our arms, hanging on a leg, or racing around asking questions. Faith is total calm and love among the chaos and energy of 10 kids under five. It was snack time when we arrived, so Tom, Wayne, Boots and Breckin got to work, setting out the little crackers and juice boxes on the tiny plastic table. I think the kids wondered why there were so many new faces hovering around, but mostly just wanted to jump around and laugh at the word, "Underwear!" And they had just met Boots "Clean Drawers" Riley!
Breckin has a little daughter, so he was totally at home with the kids, getting down on the floor to play with them and be silly. The little boys went bonkers climbing on him and making up new names to call him - "PANCAKE!" was particularly hilarious to them. We then moved outside to the green-lawned backyard, to wash the play cars ("Ma'am, your carriage is ready! ... Oh, she's moved on to a new model" - Tom Morello to tiny Taylor) and observe the kids at play.
Their being occupied meant we could chat a little with Faith. She has worked in daycare out of her home for 11 years, Monday through Friday. It's HARD work, as anyone who has ONE kid can tell you, never mind ten. Since joining the Union, the standard of living has increased a bit for her, she gets funded for health care, the kids are better taken care of because she has less to worry about. It's all connected, People! If you can take anything from this Justice Tour experience, either from being involved or reading about it, it's that we are ALL CONNECTED, and we can all work together to make good things happen for all of us. And it's POSSIBLE to make the change from the ground up! It is. I've seen it happening already.
We looked up then to see Mr. Ben Harper arrive - direct from the airport, luggage and all. "Don't worry, I'm not moving in", he said, though I'm sure that would not have been a problem. He got right into it too, and before long, he had a little girl climbing into his lap (no, it wasn't me) to check out his guitar. Which meant it was song time.
The kids were treated to a sitting on the grass performance of "With My Own Two Hands" with Ben and Tom singing "I can make it a better world, with my own two hands ... I can make peace on Earth ..." and playing guitar. Then perhaps my favorite version of "This Land Is Your Land" yet, which Tom introduced by saying, "Wee Children, the lady who takes care of you is in the Union. The guy who wrote this next song, wrote Union songs". That may have gone over their heads, but they liked it all the same. Ben, Tom and all of us sang, accompanied by the kids banging on their little xylophones and plinking away on the toy piano. Boots even left out the "mofo" part of his rapped verse, singing "Mmm Mmm" instead for the G-rated audience (this had followed Tom asking, "Boots, do you have any rhymes that are the least bit clean?"). You can see why I adore these fellows.
Story time! Tom sat on the ground and the kids all climbed into his lap, or tried to get as close as possible to hear him read "Too Many Frogs". I can happily report that, unlike our current President, Tom held the book right side up while reading to the children gathered. They especially loved the word, "Toodaloo!", finding it highly entertaining. One kid interrupted to tell Tom it was almost his birthday. Tom said, "Me too. Are you going to ask for a Union-made T-shirt also?" Uncle Ben Harper said, "Show the pictures better, Tom, I can't see." One kid may have gotten too close, because Tom said, "If you pinch me, you may not get another snack." Classic, all of it.
After another frog (they liked themes) painting project and some chasing around and tickling, it was time to go. I think it will be a fine day when there is a NightwatchDaddy, as he was a complete natural. The guys did seem a bit spent on the ride back to the hotel though, which is good. It reaffirmed what a tough job this is. As Miss Faith said, "If the kids are doing well, the family is doing well." I would add that if the family is doing well, the country is doing well ... bringing us once again back to Human Rights and Social Justice.
{Aside: This night we had a SUPER fun 60th Birthday party for Brother Wayne Kramer, where the Satellite Posse joined back up with us after playing at Coachella! This was followed by a trip to a local club to watch Wayne's dance moves. All of this was toasted ... many times. This made the May Day Rally we're about to talk about even more intense.}
The next day we all met in the lobby to take the bus to Federal Plaza (you may know it by the big famous red Calder sculpture in Chicago movies or pictures), where the May Day Rally was to be held. Traffic was heavy and streets were blocked off to manage the 15,000 (!) workers gathered. They had marched from Haymarket Square, and they were feeling the power of the masses. There were flags and signs everywhere - Puerto Rican, Mexican, U.S., Rainbow ... "Si Se Puede!", "Born In The USA, Please don't take my Mommy and Daddy away", "Legalization for all" and lots and lots of speakers. I don't speak Spanish well, so didn't understand most of it, but supported all of it.
The Rally was a bit chaotically organized, and the stage a bit creakily constructed, lending a bit of nerves to the whole affair. I'm pretty sure there were far too many people on it at all times. We waited in a staging area, with some make-shift rehearsal among the musicians in full view of everyone. Lots of camera phones came out to capture Tom, Boots, Wayne, Ben, Perry and Etty, Shooter Jennings and his mom, Jessi Colter, and the Freedom Fighter Orchestra members, Breckin, Carl Restivo and Kid Lightning. Pretty soon, we were herded on to the stage amid more frenzy and nerves, and then Tom was introduced as "A leader in this fight!" (I would add, a leader in ALL fights - and fun too!)
Tom took the microphone as the HUGE crowd went crazy. I'm not even sure they were all direct fans of his work, they just wanted to go crazy and be HEARD for once. Tom opened with his most appropriate song for the occasion and the SEIU, "Union Song". When he sang, "Standing UP and Standing STRONG!" - the cheers were deafening and the flags waved proudly. I stood on the side of the stage scribbling and taking photos, and then just stood still a moment to take it all in. WAVES of human beings standing UP and STRONG for their own rights, and the rights of others. It was incredibly touching, and even more empowering - as this whole tour has been. What a way to wrap it up - among THOUSANDS of our companeros! It was goose-bump inducing, to say the least.
Boots and Tom next played Boots' "Everythang", which had a little calmer reaction, but I'm not positive they could understand it all, as all the speeches had been in Spanish. They still cheered like crazy.
Shooter and Jessi played "Why You Been Gone So Long?", and it was moving to have a mother/son team among so many people who have been separated from their families due to our current immigration mayhem. Shooter said, "We're here for you guys", and it was both true, and they liked it a lot.
There was time for only one more song before Mayor Daley took over the microphone, and that one had to be "This Land Is Your Land". This was probably the most fitting time it was played on the entire tour, due to our heavily immigrant (including ourselves, remember) audience. Tom, Perry, Wayne, Ben (ailing with a bug) and Boots each took verses, and when Boots rapped his "Tear this motherfucker up!" part - they REALLY understood that, and, as they say, the crowd went WILD. Then it was time for the end's jumping in unison to show UNITY, and Tom said, "The Mayor is here, and he'd better jump too!"
(He did. From the Chicago Tribune: Some of the younger demonstrators, however, were more interested in hearing the two music groups on the program: Mexican hip-hop duo Kinto Sol and former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
Even Mayor Richard M. Daley got caught up in the teen spirit. During a version of the Woody Guthrie song "This Land is Your Land," Daley took the stage and began bouncing up and down, pogo-style, with others there. His face flushing red and his tie flapping, the happy mayor pointed to the surrounding skyscrapers and shouted, "Immigrants built these buildings!") That was the greatest.)
It was extremely powerful to behold, all of us as ONE - even if just for this moment, for now. When Tom yelled, "THE WHEEL OF HISTORY IS IN YOUR HANDS!", he was speaking to the wildly cheering marchers, of course. But he was also speaking to all of us. The experience of this tour has made that fact all the more abundantly clear. We ARE the change we've been waiting for ... and history is NOW! So go on - get out there! Make this land, YOUR/OUR LAND, be the one you're proud to be a part of!
SI SE PUEDE! - but only TOGETHER!
- Carol Gronner
