Voces Calls on Madison Students and Families to Show Up for May Day!

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera, is calling on MMSD families and students to join in the organization’s May Day action on Friday, May 1, 2026. 

Organized by a coalition including Voces de la Frontera, Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) and local partners across Dane County, May Day is a statewide labor and civil rights march and national day of action taking place in Madison and Milwaukee. 

On Friday, May 1 in Madison, we will gather at noon on Library Mall and then march to the State Capitol at 1 pm for a rally and program at 2 that will highlight state and national demands.

Continued participation in this fight from MMSD students is especially meaningful. This year, Youth Empowered in the Struggle, the student-led branch of Voces, is demanding the abolition of ICE from our schools and communities, nutritious school lunches, and no School Resource Officers on campuses.  

In solidarity, we can all fight for a safe and welcoming learning environment for our children, one without ICE in our schools or communities. As families, as students, as community members, we can and will exercise our First Amendment right to free speech in order to protect ourselves and others.

What You Can Do

Take your student out of school and participate: 

“We ask that families visit Infinite Campus and submit a request for a ‘Pre-Approved

Absence for Friday, May 1st, 2026. In the required comments section, please include a note

such as ‘Our family will be taking part in solidarity actions with immigrant and working

communities for May Day.’

Contact state legislators about May Day demands:  

“Additionally, we urge you to take action by advocating for our state and federal priorities.

Please call or email your state legislators to support driver’s licenses for all and oppose Bill

24, which would expand police collaboration with ICE. At the federal level, we call on you

to reject policies that criminalize immigrants and separate families”