About 75 people gathered at a May Day Strong rally outside of the Kankakee County Courthouse Friday afternoon as part of a coordinated national day of action.

The events brought together workers, students and families at more than 3,000 rallies, marches and walkouts across the United States.

Speakers at the Kankakee rally touted the importance of labor unions, voting and political resistance.

Participants held signs in support of workers’ rights and chanted things such as, “Can we do it? Yes we can!” and “Union power on the rise, time to organize!”

The gathering drew periodic honks of support from passing vehicles on Court Street.

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May Day Strong Rally - Kankakee About 75 protesters gathered during the May Day Strong rally at the Kankakee County Courthouse on May 1, 2026, as part of a national day of action. (Tiffany Blanchette/Tiffany Blanchette)

Local organizing groups included Kankakee Friends of Labor, Connect Kankakee and the Illinois Democratic Women of Kankakee County.

May Day Strong is a coalition of hundreds of organizations calling on working people to stand against what organizers describe as a “billionaire agenda” and build collective power.

Larry Kerkstra, Kankakee County Board member and a retired union member, said unions “are the greatest thing that’s ever happened.”

“Labor brought me from a poor family, not to a wealthy family, but to at least a family that can take care of themselves without any assistance,” he said.

Kerkstra said that, although participation has decreased since the 1970s, with only 6% of the country’s private-sector employees unionized, labor unions “are not dead.”

“Everybody out here is labor — whether you punch a clock, pick up a hammer, transport copies, inform people — you are all labor,” Kerkstra said. “So stand together as labor, because the only thing that can happen when you stand together as labor is you’re going to move forward.”

Former state Rep. Al Riley, a member of the Southland Friends of Labor Board, said it is important to remember the history of the labor movement and the origins of May Day.

“All we should endeavor to do is keep the fight that people before us led,” Riley said. “They weren’t scared. We can’t be scared either, and I think if we do that, there is a future.”

The Haymarket riot, which took place 140 years ago on May 4, 1886, in Chicago, started as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour work day.

A riot took place in the aftermath of a bombing at the demonstration, resulting in several deaths.

Four organizers were executed and one died by suicide while awaiting execution, although none had been tied to the bombing.

“Out of the loss of life that occurred, they got that eight-hour day, and a lot of other things came from that sacrifice,” Riley said.

Dawn Tutt, a precinct committee person for the Democratic Party in Kankakee County, said she would like to see more people of all backgrounds and ages attend events like Friday’s rally, especially young people.

“We need to see a lot more people of all colors, and we need to see a lot more people who don’t have this gray hair,” she said.

Tutt also urged people to vote in upcoming elections and encourage others to do the same.

“Talk to everyone you know,” she said. “Don’t bring one person with you to vote. Bring 10.”

Brandon Hudspeth, a Connect Kankakee organizer, mentioned local initiatives to protect the community from abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including the development of a rapid response network and pushes for legislation.

“Ultimately, these are all about defending our institutions,” Hudspeth said. “It’s about building up our networks, working with each other, relying on one another and showing that the one way forward is collective action.

“It always has been. It’s our future. It’s how we respect those who dedicated themselves to sacrifice so much in the past.”

Jeanie Edbrooke of Manteno, a retired former member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, attended the rally donning a banana costume with a peace sign.

She also held a sign with an illustrated fist urging people to “resist fascism.”

“I’m here because I’m fed up with the world, with the way the U.S. is treating other countries,” she said.

Edbrooke, who also attended a recent No Kings rally, said she is particularly concerned with the fight for immigrants’ rights.

She said her biggest takeaway from Friday was how critical it will be to vote.

“We need a change,” she said. “I know change is gonna come.”