Ashley Harris sings during a Memphis May Day rally in opposition to xAI, billionaires, cooperations and more on May 1, 2026 at Alonzo Weaver Park in Memphis, Tenn.
A dozen protesters organized a sit-in-style protest outside xAI’s data center entrance at noon on May 1, kicking off May Day events organized by Tennessee For All, a statewide activist group.
The protestors sought to raise awareness about concerns over the environmental impact of the xAI facility at 3231 Paul R. Lowry Road, on the surrounding areas. They lay on the ground for a little over two hours, wearing face respirators and white T-shirts with “xAI” printed like red spray paint, marked out with a black line.
A white Ford Bronco is stopped by protesters outside of xAI’s Colossus data center at 3231 Paul R. Lowry Road in Memphis on May 1, 2026.
More: NAACP sues xAI for alleged Clean Air Act violations in Southaven
The gathering remained peaceful and included the presence of over a dozen law enforcement officers.
May Day, or International Workers’ Day on May 1, is an annual holiday supporting workers’ rights, unionization and activism.
Later that evening, the group joined a multi-organization May Day event at Alonzo Weaver Park in South Memphis, organized partly by Tennessee For All.
Victoria Terry with the Black Voting Alliance spoke during a Memphis May Day rally in opposition to xAI, billionaires, cooperations and more on May 1, 2026 at Alonzo Weaver Park in Memphis, Tenn.
Rebekah Gorbea, Tennessee For All statewide coordinator, who resides in Memphis, said the 5 p.m. event at the park drew almost 300 people, which included elected officials and community members.
Speakers at the event showed support for local unions, while also being critical of xAI, Elon Musk, the Memphis Safe Task Force, and national deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and the Tennessee education system.
Complaints about the presence of xAI became a main topic of discussion at the event, which took place near the mega-facility. Community speakers from the Boxtown area of South Memphis said they are greatly affected by environmental factors and are against pollutants it might bring to the neighborhood.
At the noon protest, Jasmine Bernand, 17, said she can smell a scent like “rotten eggs” every morning on her way to school.
XAI demonstrators lay on the ground at the entrance to Colossus 1 to prevent entry into the facility on May 1, 2026 at 3231 Paul Lowry Road in Memphis, Tenn.
A rotten egg and sulfur smell was potent over the course of the noon protest. The scent has been linked with nitrous oxide and smog-causing industrial pollutants.
Air pollution has long been a factor in drawing community opposition of the xAI facility, as well as the company’s reliance on gas turbines to power its data centers.
In December 2025, the Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board dismissed an appeal against an air permit for turbines at the Colosuss facility on Paul R. Lowry Road. The decision upheld a July permit approval from the Shelby County Health Department, allowing 15 gas turbines at the site.
In April, the NAACP and the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP filed a lawsuit alleging Clean Air Act violations at the xAI site, including the use of 27 unpermitted turbines that were not included in a March PSD permit.
In August, the MDEQ approved the use of 16 unpermitted turbines at the site on the grounds that temporary turbines did not require permits.
In January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its Clean Air Act regulation. The updated Federal Register outlines that all stationary and combustion turbines require permits, including temporary ones.
Lacey Nalla holds up a sign during a Memphis May Day rally in opposition to xAI, billionaires, cooperations and more on May 1, 2026 at Alonzo Weaver Park in Memphis, Tenn.
Gorbea said a big reason why xAI was a focal point for the May Day event in Memphis is due to the recent initial public offering attempt by its parent company, Space X.
On April 1, SpaceX filed an IPO confidentially, according to USA Today. The company was valued at $1.25 trillion in February when it acquired xAI. Musk also merged his social media company, X, and artificial intelligence companies in March 2025, with xAI acquiring X in an all-stock deal worth $45 billion, Reuters reported.
Construction permits have also been approved for xAI’s Colossus 2 data center at 5420 Tulane Road in Whitehaven.
Gorbea said the group will continue to raise awareness about pollution and speak out against gas turbines.
Neil Strebig is a journalist with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at neil.strebig@commercialappeal.com, 901-426-0679.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: May Day rally draws 300 at Alonzo Weaver Park in Memphis