Liberty Square NY—Legions of guitarists, string players, singers, and DIY-shaker makers will converge on Bryant Park on May 1 for Occupy Guitarmy, part of the Occupy Wall Street May Day actions for social and economic justice.

Occupy Guitarmy is a gathering of New York-area guitarists and string players from complete beginner to master shredder, bedroom artist to legend. All are equal in this guitarmy. We play and march to support Occupy, to raise our voices, to recognize each other was musicians, music workers and community. We ask all New York City-area guitarists and string players to join us on this day.

We will play and sing along to social justice songs including, “This Land Is Your Land,” “El Pueblo Unido,” “One Guitar” and “We Shall Not Be Moved.” These songs' chords, lyrics, MP3s and videos are available on the Occupy Guitarmy Tumblr.

Our base camp is Bryant Park, next to the Gertrude Stein station. There the Occupy Guitarmy will begin with teachers helping other musicians master chords, song leaders teaching songs, and those who mastered it all invariably jamming. We will organize into groups and, along with other groups assembled at the Park, we will sing, play, and march our way down to Union Square Park.

At Union Square, we will join an amplified stage - with all city permits - supported in a coalition by Occupy Wall Street, organized labor and immigrant rights groups. We will perform the song “World Wide Rebel Songs” along with social justice organizer and day-one Occupy supporter Tom Morello. The concert will include performances by Immortal Technique, Das Racist, Dan Deacon and the Bobby Sanabria Band.

The Occupy Guitarmy is part of May Day, a call for the 99% to take the streets and reclaim our communities. We’ll demand economic justice from the major institutions of government and industry who refuse to step forward and deliver a just society. No Work, No School, No Shopping, No Housework, No Compliance. May Day will be another important step forward in the growth of a resistance movement that has captured international headlines since the occupation of Liberty Square on September 17 and contributed to a renewed national and global focus on social and economic injustice.

For more information on May Day, please visit: maydaysolidarity2012.org.