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About 100 people gathered outside the Old Town Hall on Herndon’s Town Green on May 2 for an International Workers’ Day rally focused on workers’ rights and concerns facing immigrant communities.
The early evening event was organized by the New Virginia Majority to unite local workers and immigrants. Organization advocate Josif Ezekilov said heightened fear within the immigrant community under the Trump administration helped drive the gathering.
Ezekilov said organizers wanted to demonstrate that Herndon welcomes everyone, including immigrant workers.
The peaceful rally also called for an end to executive overreach. Attendees carried signs reading “#RESIST,” “Hands off national judges,” “Por mas salarios dignos,” meaning “For more decent wages,” and “Vote in every election.”
A theatrical performance portrayed the struggles of an immigrant woman from Honduras. In the story, the woman cares for her bedridden, uninsured mother after her husband is deported. Her employer then fires her for being late while she was helping her mother.
The performance ended with the woman learning that she was not alone and that community members could support one another as they moved forward.
Ezekilov also said the New Virginia Majority opposes Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s statements about sanctuary cities. He described immigrant workers as the backbone of Virginia’s economy and said the organization is working to help them build the lives they deserve.