Local activists will stage a May Day rally on Friday in DeKalb to advocate for workers’ rights and push for billionaires to be taxed amid rising gas prices, the Iran War and cost-of-living burdens they argue are hurting everyday Americans.

The rally, which is planned for 5 p.m. Friday at First Street and Lincoln Highway, is one of many May Day demonstrations expected nationwide this week.

Anna Wilhelmi, a local activist and former head of the DeKalb County Democratic Party, said she believes that workers are the foundation of every aspect of the nation’s economy.

“We have handed over our invaluable power to the greedy rich who abuse those of us who fuel our economy,” Wilhelmi said in a news release. “The worker in this country is flat out neglected and abused, made to live paycheck to paycheck, minutes from going broke every month.”

Two representatives of local unions will speak to the crowd Friday during what organizers said will be a peaceful event.

Northern Illinois University College of Business instructor Kieth Nyquist, who’s also executive vice president for University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100, and Dina Sweet, co-president of the DeKalb Classroom Teachers’ Association, are expected to address the rally-goers, according to the release.

A similar demonstration was held at Hopkins Park in 2025 in DeKalb.

Organizers this time said they are looking to bring attention to several main topics: taxes, war and immigration, and election freedoms.

They said they want to demand the government tax the rich “so our families, not their fortunes, come first,” the release states. Organizers said they’re calling for an end to the war with Iran and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They said they also want to call for fair and free elections.

A similar rally is planned for noon Friday outside the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore.

Cynthia de Seife, coordinator of REACT (Responsive Engagement Activating Civic Talent) and one of the rally’s organizers, said the government’s actions are affecting locals.

“While the current administration involves the U.S. in war with Iran at a cost of billions of dollars, a war that has caused a sharp spike in the price of gas, which in turn causes higher prices for all sorts of necessities, hardworking people in DeKalb County and surrounding areas are finding it difficult to pay for housing, food, medical care, and transportation,” she said in the release.

The Iran War has cost $25 billion so far, according to Pentagon numbers presented to a House Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., this week, The Associated Press reported. The hearing was focused on the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which could boost military spending to a historic $1.5 trillion.