The 1937 Antifascist Women's March

The 1937 Antifascist Women's March. . On May 6, 1937, 5000 Latinas from Ybor City assembled here on 7th Avenue to protest the rise of fascism in Spain and around the world. They marched from Ybor city to downtown Tampa to address Mayor R.E.L. Chancey at City Hall. Once there, a marcher presented the mayor with a petition on behalf of the Ybor community and said:,

"As citizens and residents of a peaceful and democratic nation, we feel morally obliged to give all possible aid to Spanish cities that defend their democratic government against fascist aggression, thus maintaining the standard of peace and democracy in the world."

, Ybor Latinas, as well as their neighbors, waged an antifascist campaign during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), literally sending tons of food and clothing plus 20,000 cigars, 4 ambulances, 1 x-ray machine, and $7,000 of medication to Spanish Republican forces. Also, 24 men from Ybor City joined the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the volunteer unit that fought the fascist regime. While Franco's fascist supporters won the war, the people of the Ybor remained dedicated to the antifascist cause - particularly as the community rallied to support the Allied forces against the fascist Axis Powers during world war two.