Some see Labor Day as the last official hurrah of summer. Others see it as a lazy day away from work. I've usually recognized it as the day to stop wearing white pants and shoes, but the day was set aside in the United States and Canada in 1894 as a way to celebrate working men and women.
The first Labor Day Parade occurred on September 5, 1882 in New York City. The date was chosen by workers' unions who placed it half way between Independence Day and Thanksgiving and the idea then spread across the countries, possibly recognizing the need for a day of respite, and most certainly recognizing the need of praise for the men and women who toil to make the economy strong.
However, the best reasoning for celebrating Labor Day that I have found comes from Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor, who said, "Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
I agree Mr. Gompers, our positive forward-moving actions, equal and diverse, are cause for celebration.
