Eugene V. Debs Hall to host second annual May Day on May 1, 2023
First, some background on Eugene V. Debs Hall from Explore Buffalo:
Eugene V. Debs Hall is a restored 1914 saloon first opened by saloonkeeper John M. Kucharski and owned by the Schreiber Brewing Company as a showcase for its Manru lager and ale. Last open as Al’s Place in 1991, and after being vacant for 30 years, the space is now active again and a contributor to Broadway Fillmore’s revival. Eugene V. Debs Hall is a non-profit social organization dedicated to honoring five-time Socialist Party presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs and Buffalo and U.S. labor movement history.
It’s hard to imagine the time when there was no standard 8-hour workday in the US. It wasn’t until a public outcry, in tandem with demands voiced by the broader U.S. labor movement, that work conditions began to change for the better.
Here in Buffalo, in 1895, the rallying cry for a more manageable workday led to a demonstration that was held in Teutonia Park (present site of East High School). The demonstration drew 2000 working people who unanimously adopted the following resolution:
“Resolved, That in fully sympathy and fellowship with the millions of disinherited toilers, who, on May Day, throughout the world, march unitedly under the banner of International Socialism, we, workingmen and women of Buffalo, in mass meeting assembled, hereby pledge our means and our lives to the abolition of wage slavery, and to the substitution of the co-operative commonwealth for the present odious system of class robbery and despotism.”
In honor of those people who fought for fair labor guidelines well over a century ago, Eugene V. Debs Hall will be hosting its second annual May Day celebration on Monday, May 1, 5 to 10 pm, at 483 Peckham Street.
“The original Labor Day – May Day – is the International Workers’ Day, celebrated just about everywhere on the planet except in the country where it originated: the U.S. of A.” – Chris Hawley, owner of Eugene V. Debs Hall
Second Annual May Day
Monday, May 1, 2023
5 to 10 pm
Eugene V. Debs Hall | 483 Peckham Street | Buffalo NY
The legendary local band Yellow Jack will play folk and union music from 6 to 9 pm. Chef Steve will be serving up a $15 dish of Italian sausage, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw, or a vegetarian option, with homemade apple cakes and coffee for dessert.
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