Labor Day brings opportunity to celebrate American worker

Labor Day is coming Monday, and we’re sure many of you will have the day off work and be taking the opportunity for a little fun. As the “unofficial end of summer,” the Labor Day weekend often provides the perfect chance to splash into a final pool day, soak up some rays, set off for a local fishing spot or even take a short vacation.

However, like so many of our federal holidays that sometimes seem like little more than a chance to relax and eat good food, Labor Day is rooted in something deeper. Let’s take a moment to honor that history.

The first governmental recognition of Labor Day was thanks to city ordinances passed in 1885 and 1886, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

Here are some facts about Labor Day as shared by the National Constitution Center and Investopedia websites:

• The roots of Labor Day grew out of violent clashes between labor and police during the Haymarket Riot in 1886, when thousands of workers in Chicago took to the streets to protest for an eight-hour workday.
• In the late 19th century, celebrations focused on parades in urban areas.
• The first Labor Day parade took place in New York City in 1882.
• When it comes to not wearing white after Labor Day, this old tradition goes back to the late Victorian era, when it was a fashion faux pas to wear any white clothing after Labor Day. The tradition isn’t really followed anymore. According to EmilyPost.com, white indicated you were still in vacation mode at your summer cottage.

America is today, as it always has been, full of people who want to do honest work for an honest living and be a part of making our society ever better as we look to the future.

This Labor Day, let’s honor workers of all kinds.

The DOL claims it is important “that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom and leadership – the American worker.”

Let’s remember the American worker – more specifically, the Alabamian worker and, closest to home, the Franklin County worker – no matter what they might have.

There’s bound to be plenty of fun to be had this weekend, but maybe a part of our holiday can be dedicated to thankfulness for those who make this life possible.