The importance of Labor Day

Mo Hill, Assistant Opinion Editor

What is Labor Day? Who is Labor Day? Why is Labor Day? These are questions that a lot of people have a tendency to ask around this time of year. Right now, we’re just going to focus on the “what,” and you can ignore the other questions. 

Many people know Labor Day as a random day off in September, or they know it for all of the sales that spring up when Labor Day rolls around, but they don’t know the history of it. Labor Day was first celebrated by the Central Labor Union in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882 as a way to recognize the workers in this country. The event was a massive success and was held again in 1883. 

After nearly a decade of Labor Day celebrations, the holiday had been adopted in 23 states and in 1894 Labor Day became a federal holiday under then President Grover Cleveland. The holiday has over a century’s worth of history tied to it, and it has moved heavily away from celebrating the worker and more towards store wide sales and dishonest celebrations from corporations around the country. Labor Day has always been about the workers of America and celebrating them, and right now it needs to focus on them more than ever before.