Hundreds march in Oakland to celebrate May Day

A group of demonstrators carry cut-out birds symbolizing freedom during a May Day rally and march held at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif. Tuesday, May 1, 2018. A group of demonstrators carry cut-out birds symbolizing freedom during a May Day rally and march held at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif. Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close Hundreds march in Oakland to celebrate May Day 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

The colorful signs and banners at Oakland’s May Day demonstration Tuesday seemed to champion an endless array of divergent causes, both local and national in scale.

Better working conditions at the Tesla factory in Fremont. A living wage in San Francisco. The end of immigration policies that tear families apart.

But on the date also known as International Workers’ Day, local May Day organizers hoped to send a message of solidarity across the issues to the hundreds of people who gathered for the march through downtown Oakland.

“Immigrant rights are workers rights,” said Clarence Thomas, an organizer with the local International Longshore and Warehouse Union, as he led the crowd in a chant. “Workers rights are immigrant rights.”

The history of May 1 as a day to celebrate workers dates to the 19th century labor movement. This year’s demonstration, organized by a coalition of community organizations under the name Oakland Sin Fronteras, focused on a theme of “sanctuary for all.”

Wassim Hage, a May Day organizer with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, said that the gathering was intended to send a message of support for workers, immigrants and marginalized communities.

Despite the range of issues on display, Hage said that the common thread among them was a fight for justice. Hage also pointed to an increased energy for activism and civic engagement in the current political climate.

“People are more agitated and more fired up, especially if you look at what’s going on in the world,” he said.

At Frank Ogawa Plaza, hundreds prepared for the procession through the city. Volunteers in orange vests walked through the crowd, handing out free snacks and water bottles in the afternoon heat.

Aztec dance group Huey Papalot opened the official program with a performance rooted in traditional prayer practices.

“Dance is sometimes done as a form of prayer,” Jackie Garcia of the Xicana Moratorium Coalition said. “Right now, they’re setting the energy and intention for our march.”

From Ogawa Plaza, the march moved down 14th Street toward Lake Merritt, closing off traffic as the crowd stretched across multiple blocks.

Nayeli Maxson of Oakland walked through the crowd with her 3-year-old son by her side. Maxson, who is running for City Council, recalled her parents taking her to similar events when she was a child. Attending this year’s event and bringing her son kept a long-standing family tradition alive.

“I come from a union family, my dad was in a union and my mom was too,” she said. “Every May Day, you had to be out there.”

For her son, Tuesday’s march was far from his first time attending a protest, Maxson said. As a group of drummers walked past, he tugged on his mother’s hand and had trouble keeping still.

“He likes the music, the energy,” she said. “I remember loving that too as a kid.”

The May Day demonstration concluded at Lake Merritt Amphitheater with a resource fair. Participating organizations set up tables and handed out flyers to demonstrators. Volunteers walked through the crowd, asking people if they were registered to vote in the state.

The Oakland Police Department said that no arrests or other incidents were reported from the protest, which the department said was a peaceful one.

Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15