Although special to me, I haven’t always understood the
purpose of Labor Day. Yes, I knew
that Labor Day had something to do with
labor, i.e. work. I probably learned
about it in history class in middle school.
I didn't pay much attention to the history being taught because I often
felt detached or excluded from it. Even
as a child, I knew that there was history and then there was the retelling of
history. As a result, my response to American
holiday fanfare is always accompanied by a slight roll of the eyes.
By the way, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the
first Labor Day celebration was in the city of New York on September 5th
in 1882. Labor Day didn't become a national holiday
until 1894. About 28 states had adopted
legislation to celebrate the holiday before Congress passed legislation to make
it a national holiday that would be celebrated on the first Monday of
September. Labor Day was created out of
the American labor movement and is meant to celebrate the American worker and achievements
made to our country’s prosperity.
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| "Woman's Work is Never Done "- From My Kitchen |
I often feel nostalgic and even whimsical about Labor Day. Growing
up, Labor Day meant the end of summer and going back to school. In Maryland, we didn't go back to school
until after Labor Day. My mother would
take us shopping to get us ready for school.
Of course, as the only girl in the house, this was a much greater
production for me than for my two older brothers. Every year, there was the constant
negotiation with my mother in terms of how many new outfits I really needed for
school. I would try to tell her what
some of the popular kids would be wearing and Rudell (ma) would say “Karen,
those kids aren't going to do anything with their lives.” But at some point, the negotiations would end when
Rudell said, “Karen, you have enough.” At
home, I would model for my mother – as if she hadn't already seen every piece I
tried on in the store and again at the register when she paid for them. I was pleased and she was exhausted.
I learned that I’m not
supposed to where white after Labor Day.
But when I was in college at Spelman, I met a lot of women from
California and they were unaware of this fashion rule. My roommate was from California and she
thought that was the funniest thing she had ever heard. She was still laughing in December as she was
putting on her white pants before heading out to class. I figured this must be an unwritten rule for
certain parts of the country. I still like the idea of putting away light
and airy clothing to make way for fall clothing, cooler weather and the smell
of sweet potato pies in the oven.
Beyond the end of summer, going back to school, wardrobes
and shopping – Labor Day is a day in which we should pause and reconsider our
work. Many struggle with work life
balance. This isn't to say that we can
ever achieve balance. Most people spend at
least 8 hours at work and 2 hours commuting.
This doesn't account for evening, job-related functions and part-time
employment. Still, there should be time
in which we work and time in which we don’t work. We need to leave, get rest and then return
more focused. We should also consider
whether or not we like our work. If the job isn't fulfilling, does it at
least help to accomplish some of your life goals at this stage of your
life? No one should stay on a job that
is physically and emotionally draining resulting in un-wellness. While you may not be able to leave immediately,
you can plan your great escape.
I've done it a few times and it was worth it. Either way, it’s up to us to figure it out - how we work and don’t work –perhaps this is the real significance of a holiday
that celebrates the American worker.
