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MayWorks concludes at NW Folklife Festival

SEATTLE — The MayWorks celebration concludes this Memorial Day weekend with special events and performances at the Northwest Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center. It is the culmination of a month of events celebrating labor culture and commemorating the centennial of the 1912 “Bread and Roses Strike” by textile workers in Lawrence, Mass. This eight-week strike by the mostly immigrant women was historic in its militancy, focusing the entire nation on the need for dignity as well as fair wages and working conditions.

The monthlong MayWorks celebration actually began in late April with the Emerging Leaders Conference and May Day events. Last week, featured a series of concerts and workshops by critically acclaimed musical storytellers Charlie King and Karen Brandow, including at the Pacific Northwest Labor History Conference in Tacoma.

Here are the remaining events planned for the Northwest Folklife Festival:

Bread & Roses Exhibition – May 25 – 28
Time: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM Friday – Sunday, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM Monday
Lopez Room
(Read The Stand’s preview of this exhibition.)

Oral Histories -Interviews with Seattle Center Workers – Saturday, May 26
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Narrative Stage at the SIFF Cinema

Labor Show – Saturday, May 26
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Bagley Wright Theatre
Chris Chandler; Nina Laboy; David Rovics; Seattle Labor Chorus; Solidarity Notes; Citizens Band

Speaking of the Seattle Labor Chorus…

We Do the Work Film Festival – Sunday, May 27
Time: Noon
Narrative Stage at the SIFF Cinema
Awards announcements and screenings of the top three videos
(Read The Stand’s preview of this competition.)

Bread & Roses, Then and Now Workshop – Sunday, May 27
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Narrative Stage at the SIFF Cinema
Video about the original strike and discussion with representatives of contemporary labor struggles

Voices of Occupy Concert Hosted by David Rovics – Sunday, May 27
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Intiman Theatre Courtyard
Al Bradbury; Danny Kelly; Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm; Desert Rat; Nina Laboy; Chris Chandler; Jim Page; Laura Love and excerpts from the U.W. Drama School’s “Harp Song for a Radical”

Bread & Roses Commemoration Concert: 100 Years of Justice and Dignity– Monday, May 28
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Center House Theatre
Rebel Voices; Jacque Larrainzar; ET and the Boy; Pat Wright; ELC Float and performance in Lobby

Bread, Roses, and Happiness Workshop with John de Graaf – Monday, May 28
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Narrative Stage at the SIFF Cinema

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