The size of the march could not be appeciated from the ground. Every person in the march was part of a large group of determined people, peacefully protesting. At the time the above photograph was taken from the “L” station at Quincy and Wells just before one o’clock, the “tail” of the vast march was still leaving Union Park, more than two miles to the northwest from the point where this photograph was taken, while the march’s “head” was already arriving in Grant Park, nearly one mile to the east. Both police and marchers noted that all sides were peaceful. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
 

In many cases, three and four generations from one family were on the march. Above, SEIU Local 73 Vice President Cynthia Rodriguez, who helped organize the march, walked with her father and other family members beneath the “L” at Quincy and Wells. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt  

Political leaders from Illinois, including Congressman Luis Gutierrez and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (above, center) were in the forefront of the fight for immigrants’ rights in the face of a reactionary majority in the U.S. House of Representative. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt 

For more than three miles, main streets in the third largest city in the USA were closed to traffic on May 1, 2006, by the huge outpouring of people. Above, looking north from Jackson Blvd. on Michigan Ave. at around 1:30 p.m. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt  

Reflecting the fact that a large part of the organizing for both the March 10 and May 1 marches in Chicago had been done by radio, the marchers were greeted in Grant Park by rap musicians (above) before the speaking began. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.