09/07/2026
On Labor Day, America celebrates the workers whose labor helped build its economy. For African Americans, that history stretches from enslaved agricultural labor in the 19th century to the industrial, agricultural, domestic, and professional workforce of the modern era.
Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, after workers had spent years campaigning for recognition, better wages, safer workplaces, and the eight-hour workday. By then, 30 states had already established Labor Day observances.
Black workers faced another barrier. Many established unions excluded them, prompting Black workers to create organizations of their own.
In 1869, Baltimore ship caulker Isaac Myers helped establish the Colored National Labor Union, one of the earliest national attempts to organize Black workers. Decades later, A. Philip Randolph founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, which became America’s most prominent Black labor union.
The story of American labor is also a story of Black workers who organized, negotiated, protested, and built despite exclusion.
Today, Labor Day belongs to every worker whose hands, skills, and determination have helped move America forward.
