And the year rolls on. Summer begins with Memorial Day Weekend and ends with Labor Day Weekend. In each case many folks, though not all, are able to have a day off from work. But the framing is quite different.
Memorial Day honors those who lost their lives in battle. It is right to honor their service and sacrifice. But along with that comes a sort of guilt-tripping to the nation. “When you enjoy your Memorial Day picnic, will you remember the deaths that made your freedom possible?”
I am uncomfortable with how easy it is for politicians to shape and even twist the loss of life into an enormous billboard for their own political views. The dead cannot come back to argue the point. We make cartoon superheroes out of very real human beings and we do them a disservice. They have become easy props for bad speeches about militarism, jingoism, and questionable patriotism.
It’s interesting that we do not honor those whose work brought the rights of American laborers into being. They also sacrificed and believed in working for a free and just society. Some lost their lives in the fight for better conditions and better pay.
We ought to lift up and celebrate their lives and work with the same reverence we are taught to feel on Memorial Day. Often, we do not. I suspect this is because politicians don’t find it as easy to mold and manipulate the message of worker’s rights in a way that suits their personal agendas.
The message of the American Labor movement is uncomfortably blunt and specific to those (not just politicians) who seek to mute or erase it. Fair wages, reasonable hours of work, safe working conditions, workers’ rights and their autonomy as valuable parts of our nation’s economy and culture. This is not something you can drape a flag over with pretty words and call it a day.
This year it's painfully obvious that the people in power are actively trying to strip away and erase the hard-won rights that Labor Day remembers and celebrates.
If we are to mark Memorial Day with an almost religious devotion then we should understand why Labor Day is equally holy. Labor Day is every bit as rooted in work, and risk, and sacrifice, and in fighting for the rights of others and not just yourself.
They, too, fought for freedom and the American Way. They, too were patriots. Are still patriots. Are still working for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We forget them at our peril.
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There’s a concert today at the Chrysalis. Come out and enjoy music, community, and the opportunity to support the things that make the country a better place for all.
The Accord Symphony Orchestra returns to the Chrysalis stage for the 5th time on Labor Day for a free evening of pops, film scores, and more! Enjoy a beautiful evening outside in Columbia's Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods.
This free, family-friendly event is the perfect for both newcomers and longtime lovers of orchestral music! The evening will be complete with food trucks on site as well as concessions sold by the park.
Register for your free tickets to the Labor Day Concert with Accord Symphony Orchestra.
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