The Day of the Dead

Today is Día de los Muertos. One of our social justice partners, NWA Worker Justice Center, is hosting an event this evening honoring immigrants & fighting back for the dignity of the living. This is very much in the spirit of Day of the Dead observances, because it is more than anything else a reaffirmation of indigenous life.

So, if you are hearing about Day of the Dead for the first time, or if you are thinking about it in comparison to Halloween, try distinguishing it as its own holiday, with its own integrity, and learn a bit more about it. Maybe read this excellent piece on Day of the Dead in National Geographic.

Here's the event announcement:

Thursday, November 2 at 5:30pm
Marching from Thompson St. and Emma Ave. to Shiloh Square
Springdale, Arkansas

We invite everyone to come out to celebrate the NWA Workers’ Justice Center’s first annual Día de los Muertos, a sacred holiday with indigenous roots in Mexican and Central American culture that goes back thousands of years. The event will include theater, puppets, music, dances, food and altars.

The NWA Workers’ Justice Center (NWAWJC) holds this space to preserve our cultural traditions and commemorate immigrants that have died while on the job, crossing the border, and as a result of police brutality and hate crimes.

Due to the current administration, attacks on immigrant workers are escalating. Employer-mandated processing quotas and rapid line speeds are causing dangerous and difficult conditions for poultry processing workers in Arkansas; this intense time pressure often causes workers to injure themselves, as well as engage in behavior that compromises the safety of the product. Trump’s commitment to cut OSHA funding leaves the NWAWJC uncertain of continued funding for the health and safety trainings we provide for our members and the community. Cuts made to OSHA and other labor agencies by the current administration cause more dangerous and fatal working conditions.

Visiting artists from Los Angeles Mateo Ozelotzin-Hernandez and Joe Garza in collaboration with local artist Octavio Logo are spearheading the artistic direction of this event. We are presenting the event in collaboration with The Artist’s Laboratory Theatre, our members, and allies.