Honk! Festival

Union members! Labor Activists! Troublemakers!

March with *Rand Wilson, DJ Cronin, Steve Smith, Steve Sullivan, Bill Bumpus, Urszula Masny-Latos, Jennifer Doe, Dave Reardon, Tom Iacobucci, Jim Kaplan, Bruce Fleischer, Billy Timmins* in a special "Red Bandana brigade" at this year's annual Honk Parade.

The Honk! Festival on Oct. 11 and 12 will feature more than 25 activist street marching bands in Somerville's Davis Sq. (Read more about it at www.honkfest.org.)

One of the highlights of the festival is when the bands and other community groups march from Davis Sq. to Harvard Sq. on Sunday, Oct. 12 at Noon.

This year's Honk parade will premiere Boston's very own informal "Red Bandana brigade" -- a labor delegation all wearing bright red bandanas. Red bandanas were worn by miners in the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain -- the largest armed uprising in American labor history -- when between 10,000 and 15,000 coal miners confronted company-paid private detectives in an effort to unionize the southwestern West Virginia mines. During the battle, coal miners wore red bandanas around their necks to identify themselves as union supporters (and not get shot!).

Everyone should bring labor banners and posters. This is an opportunity to have a great time and get labor's message out to thousands of people in Somerville and Cambridge! If you would like to participate, please RSVP with Rand Wilson at rand@mindspring.com or call 617 803-0799