WASHINGTON–In a crowd of thousands of protestors, one couple dressed as clowns marched from the Washington Monument to the White House to protest the Trump administration on Friday.
“There’s too much clowning around going on,” Tina Moreau said. “It’s time to get serious about America and the American people.”
The protest, known as May Day, is an international observance every May 1 meant to recognize the accomplishments of workers and labor unions.
Many people laughed, cheered, cried and marched in solidarity with workers. Music rang through the sunny Washington, D.C. sky, any chance of dead air squandered by overlapping chants.
From infants to senior citizens, activists from all walks of life gathered in Franklin Square to hear from speakers concerned about the Trump administration.
“This is what America is,” Micheal Moreau, a retired federal employee, said, gesturing to the crowd of protesters. On Friday, Moreau dressed up as a clown alongside his wife. “If we don’t speak out, then we are not doing what we’re supposed to do.”
Although May Day focuses on labor unions, protesters came together to protest what they say are atrocities in the government. Speakers at the event included labor leaders, activists and clergy members.
Among the speakers was Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in March 2025. Although Abrego Garcia wasn’t present at the rally, his wife shared a note from him.
“On this international work day, I want to remind workers and working class people around the world to hold your head up high and keep fighting for justice, dignity, no matter who tries to bring you down,” Jennifer Vasquez Sura read to the large crowd in front of her. “You matter, and you are the person you have been waiting for.”
The protesters shut down streets in D.C. as they marched from the National Monument to the White House.
One of the groups to participate was CASA, a non-profit group dedicated to improving the lives of working class families from Black, Latino, Indigenous and immigrant backgrounds.
Isiejah Allen, 37, is a first-generation immigrant with parents from Guyana and Jamaica who works in development for CASA. He said the group wants to raise awareness of the communities they represent.
“We hope to achieve awareness to workers rights, immigrant rights, our organization as well as our partner organizations and those we collaborate with on a daily basis,” Allen said to Capital News Service. “We want to bring more eyes to the causes that we fight for a daily basis, and we’re fighting for positive and sustainable change.”
For Allen, working to share resources with immigrant communities was personal as well as professional. Allen said he knows what immigrant families go through and wants to fight for liberation and positive change.
“Living that on a daily basis, especially during my formative years . . I can vividly remember my mother studying for her citizenship,” Allen said. “Just having that lived experience and knowing what the people are going through, it really resonates with me on a personal and professional level.”
While many protested in groups or pairs, 75-year-old Velma Tilley stood alone near the Washington Monument.
Wearing a bright blue shirt that advocated for immigrant rights, Tilley told CNS that her former job as an attorney and juvenile court judge inspired her activism.
”My best friend is justice,” she said. “I don’t want immigrants killed. I don’t want immigrants mistreated. I believe in due process. I love everybody’s children.”
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