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Heads turned, cameras rolled and eyes were drawn as people marched down Fair Avenue toward Nob Hill Boulevard in Yakima on Monday. They waved flags and held signs that said immigrants contribute to the economy and s se puede.

El pueblo, unido, jams ser venido, marchers shouted. The people, united, will never be defeated.

More than 200 community members and activists came from across the Yakima Valley for May Day events in support of immigration reform and greater recognition for local workers. It was the first in-person May Day event since 2019.

It means a lot to be able to unite with folks across the Valley for immigration reform and labor law, said Dulce Gutierrez.

Gutierrez, a former city council member, served as the president of the Primero de Mayo Coalition, a group of volunteers and community organizations that have been working on the event since February. The march went along East Arlington Street, South Fair Avenue, East Nob Hill Boulevard and South First Street.

Cecilia Vizcaino, secretary for the organizing coalition, said it was valuable to bring back the event and the calls for immigration reform and amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

Im really happy that the community showed up. Our voices are heard when we come together, she said. Its an opportunity for change no human being is illegal.

Vizcaino said she is recipient of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The 2015 policy gives children that arrived in the United States without documentation work eligibility and some protection from deportation.

When growing up in Yakima, Vizcaino said, she did not always feel like she belonged due to the exclusion of undocumented students from certain resources. Events like May Day made her feel more human and less alone, she said.

We deserve citizenship because we are human beings, she said. Were here, were living and breathing.

Community organizations, including OneAmerica, the Latino Community Fund, the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), United Food and Commercial Worker 3000, Fair Work Center, La Casa Hogar, Nuestra Casa and Familias Unidas por la Justicia, attended or helped organize the celebration.

The CeAtl Tonalli dance group, Davis High Schools Mariachi Arcoris and singer Isarely Flores performed at the Henry Beauchamp Community Center, where local groups called for inclusion of undocumented immigrants in state health and unemployment insurance and offered information about their services.

The atmosphere was festive. Community members from Grandview to Ellensburg and as far away as the Skagit Valley enjoyed tamales and conversations in the community center.

Robert and Berta Ambriz live in Grandview. Robert is a farmworker who works in apple orchards and Berta is an in-home caregiver represented by the Service Employees International Union. The couple said they came to May Day to support more just laws for immigrants.

About a dozen workers at Windmill Farms in Sunnyside, who are working to unionize with United Farm Workers, came to the celebration. Margarita Martinez and Jose Martinez, who have been heavily involved with organizing, said they had come to build support for their efforts in Sunnyside and to advocate for better treatment of farmworkers in general.

Eva Chavez and Israel Gonzalez work with WAISN and led chants as marchers walked along Nob Hill and First Street.

All of us believe in the same mission. We deserve rights, we deserve dignity, it doesnt matter if you have papers or not, Chavez said.

After several years of virtual or socially distanced May Day celebrations during the COVID-19 pandemic, many attendees were at the event for the first time. Others, like Yakima Valley College Professor Maria Cuevas, have been coming for years.

Cuevas teaches Chicano studies and has attended the event since 2006. She said she gives her students extra credit for volunteering and said its a good opportunity for hands-on learning about issues and advocacy in the community.

Students think that oppression happens elsewhere, she said. Oppression is still occurring. Exploitation is still occurring, especially for farmworkers."

Gutierrez and Audel Ramirez, an organizer for voting rights advocacy group OneAmerica, noted that the Henry Beauchamp Community Center was different than Miller Park, where May Day celebrations were held in past years. They hoped the new location and new route would increase visibility and accessibility.

David Morales worked with Gutierrez, Vizcaino and other event organizers as the coalitions treasurer. He said without citizenship, community members are denied the right to vote, access to the social safety net and fear using public resources or contacting law enforcement.

The event connected community members to resources and civic involvement, he added.

Its about restoring the connection organizations have to each other and different advocates have with each other, Morales said.

Editor's note: This story has been expanded with additional information.

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Yakima comes together to recognize workers and immigrants at May Day march - Yakima Herald-Republic