Labor Day weekend, a holidy extra beloved because it means time off of school/work and probably a barbeque. I enjoy the holiday for these reasons but this year I can't help thinking about how these days it's too easy to take the enjoyment of a holiday and forget why we celebrate a holiday.
The importance and significance of Labor Day were really brought home to me earlier this year when I was reading a book about what life was like for those who worked in the factories and lived in tenements. We celebrate Labor Day because of striking factory workers who wanted better conditions and more rights. I'm pretty far removed from their situation in my life, these people were packed together in small rooms, they spent their days in factories where they had to work hard all day to make enough to support their families. Children either didn't go to school or didn't finish school so that they could work and help support their families. These people worked in sweat shops, underpaid because of all the people looking for work and all the profits that the higher ups were making off of them.
So remember why we celebrate Labor Day and remember that there are still people all over the world who are slaving away in sweat shops.