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Labor Day History

Heather Cox Richardson reminded us this morning of the rich history of the labor struggle in America:

Studs Terkel Awtt Portrait
AWTT portrait of Studs Terkel

“Almost one hundred and forty-two years ago, on September 5, 1882, workers in New York City celebrated the first Labor Day holiday with a parade. The parade almost didn’t happen: there was no band, and no one wanted to start marching without music. Once the Jewelers Union of Newark Two showed up with musicians, the rest of the marchers, eventually numbering between 10,000 and 20,000 men and women, fell in behind them to parade through lower Manhattan. At noon, when they reached the end of the route, the march broke up and the participants listened to speeches, drank beer, and had picnics. Other workers joined them.”

Read the remainder of her interesting post on Substack

Ai-Jen Poo Awtt Portrait
AWTT portrait of Ai-jen-poo

AWTT shares Richerdson’s belief that understanding our past informs our future. Knowing our own history sheds light on how we need to act in the present. We take this day to remember America’s champions of labor.

To see more portraits, quotes, and short bios of America’s labor activists, visit our portrait gallery and filter for “worker’s rights.”

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