Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

Many Christians understand that celebrating Halloween is against biblical teachings but they do not truly know the history of the holiday and how it has evolved over the years. To learn more, please read my prior blog post with the same title Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

My book It’s Not About You Mr. Pumpkin – A Love Letter About The True Meaning of Halloween is available for purchase and we are offering a free gift of coloring pages from the book! Please visit https://asthestarsofthesky.org/its-not-about-you-mr-pumpkin

International Literacy Day Emphasizes Literacy During the Pandemic & After

What is International Literacy Day and why set aside a day to celebrate literacy?  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established this special day in 1966 to be celebrated on September 8 every year.  It strongly believes that “literacy can’t wait” and dedicating this day serves “to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights.”  

            There are at least 5 reasons why literacy is important to everyone:

1.     It promotes our understanding and advancement of health, including brain health.

2.     It allows adults and children to participate actively for the betterment of their communities.

3.     It enables effective communication.

4.     It allows for employment advancement.

5.     It is the key to empowerment as it builds knowledge and self-worth. 

During the Covid19 pandemic, UNESCO has been growingly concerned about what it has found to be the “unpreparedness of infrastructure, education systems, programs, and people for ensuring the continuity of teaching and learning in such a situation.”  Shedding a bright light on this will enable countries all over the world to address the importance of helping teachers to be better educators and to work diligently on improving technology so that education does not lag behind.

To learn more, visit:

https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/international-literacy-day/

https://nationaltoday.com/international-literacy-day/

Celebrate with Your Children African American Freedom from Enslavement on June 19th During Juneteenth

Even though it has not been recognized as a national federal holiday yet, Juneteenth is widely celebrated all over the United States.  Its prominence, especially among African Americans, is based on their freedoms and achievements since June 19, 1865.

On that day, Major General Gordon Granger landed on the coast at Galveston, Texas and announced General Order #3 that the enslaved were free.  Juneteenth was born, with the name derived from combining the month of June and the 19th day.  It is reported that Texas had about 250,000 slaves at the time, since many slave owners from Confederate states had moved there.   The Civil War had already ended but masters were still reluctant to free the enslaved. 

In her essay Juneteenth: Emancipation and Memory, writer Elizabeth Hayes Turner describes what one heir to the Juneteenth celebration said:

The way it was explained to me, the 19th of June wasn’t the exact day the Negro was freed. But that’s the day they told them that they was free … And my daddy told me that they whooped and hollered and bored holes in trees with augers and stopped it up with [gun] powder and light and that would be their blast for the celebration.

Historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. wrote a very informative article entitled What is Juneteenth? which is available at PBS’s website.  The celebration started off slowly, declined, and then resurged during the Civil Rights movement.  It has gained momentum over many years.  42 states and the District of Columbia now celebrate that day as a holiday and celebrations are held all over the world as well.    

At the website, Juneteenth.com, founder Clifford Robinson states:

Juneteenth today, celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.

There are many children’s books about Juneteenth and famous people in our history.  Encourage your children to learn more about this important day.

Please visit the following links for more information:

• PBS - What is Juneteenth?

• Juneteenth History

Why is World Oceans Day Important to You & Your Family?

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In December 2008, the United Nations designated June 8 as World Oceans Day “to remind everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life”.   I live on St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands located in the beautiful Caribbean Sea, with the Atlantic Ocean to the north of us.  I have come to love and respect the importance of our oceans and hope that you and your children will too. 

The UN’s goal to encourage people and governments all over the world to protect and preserve this major resource is set forth on its website:

The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea. Throughout history, oceans and seas have been vital conduits for trade and transportation.

Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future. However, at the current time, there is a continuous deterioration of coastal waters owing to pollution and ocean acidification, which has an adversarial effect on the functioning of ecosystems and biodiversity. This is also negatively impacting small scale fisheries.

The theme for this year is “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean”.   Much information is provided on its website, including a virtual celebration event and other events that are scheduled all week long, and links are provided below.  Some interesting facts included in a “Did You Know” section are:

• Oceans serve as the world’s largest source of protein, with more than 3 billion people depending on the oceans as their primary source of protein.

• Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.

• Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our oceans individually and as a family.  Please don’t miss this opportunity.

To learn more, please visit:

• United Nations - Oceans Day

• World Oceans Day

Celebrating Memorial Day with Children

Photo from Houston Family Magazine

Memorial Day is an annual holiday set aside to honor those in the military who have fallen, particularly during military service.  Many people confuse it with Veteran’s Day which is day to recognize and honor all veterans. Typically, we celebrate Memorial Day with parades and visits to cemeteries and war monuments.  However, due to the quarantine restrictions, we will have to be very selective as to what activities we participate in.  And, of course, children should be included in all your plans!

The links below provide you with a lot of information you can use as teaching tools about Memorial Day as well as activities for children.  These activities range from games to baking special patriotic deserts to coloring and, of course, reading.   Importantly, please do not have your children mindlessly playing computer games or video games all day.  Keep their bodies and minds active by planning ahead of time what you will do as a family to honor our fallen heroes.

For more information, please visit these links:

• Military - Memorial Day

• Celebrating Memorial Day with Children

• Patriotic Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day with Kids

Be Sure to Participate with Your Children in the National Day of Prayer on May 7

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The National Day of Prayer is observed annually in the US on the first Thursday in May and was officially established through the efforts of President Harry S. Truman in 1952.  As our nation unites in prayer, my call of action is to include our children in this event.  

The roots of this special day go back much further though than 1952, all the way to the Second Continental Congress in the 1770s and President John Adams in the 1790s, as prayer and fasting were deemed vital to the establishment and growth of our nation.  In 1988, the law creating this day was amended to include two explicit intentions: it would be a day when believers of all great religions could unite in prayer and it would one day bring renewed respect for God to all the peoples of the world. 

The theme this year is “Pray God’s Glory Across the Earth” based on Habakkuk 2:14.  If you have not included your children in this event before, please consider doing so.  There are many children’s activities and I have listed some in the links below.  I especially like what is written in the image for today’s blog about the prayers of children: they are pure and truthful! 

Be sure to set aside time on May 7 to join millions of others to pray for our country and our leaders.  The website link for the National Day of Prayer below has suggestions for prayers and provides a schedule for the national broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time. 

For general information & activities for children, please visit the following links:

• National Day of Prayer Official Website

• Children’s Ministry - National Day of Prayer

• Focus on the Family - National Day of Prayer

Celebrate International Jazz Day on April 30

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I have written before about all the numerous benefits music has on children.  International Jazz Day is celebrated on April 30 and is a wonderful opportunity to introduce your children to the world of jazz music.

What is jazz music?  According to Scholastic’s Teacher Activity Guide on Culture & Change-Black History in America, it is purely an American invention which started from blues music:

Born in the South, the blues is an African American-derived music form that recognized the pain of lost love and injustice and gave expression to the victory of outlasting a broken heart and facing down adversity. The blues evolved from hymns, work songs, and field hollers — music used to accompany spiritual, work and social functions. Blues is the foundation of jazz as well as the prime source of rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, and country music. The blues is still evolving and is still widely played today.

One of the most distinguishing features of jazz is what is known as improvisation.  Musicians not only play from music sheets but also create their own impromptu solo performances right on the spot.  It takes great talent to do this.

Jazz music continued to expand and grow over the years into what is known as “swing music” for dancing and then into what is known as “bepop music” in the 1940s:

In the early 1940s, jazz musicians were looking for new directions to explore. A new style of jazz was born, called bebop, had fast tempos, intricate melodies, and complex harmonies. Bebop was considered jazz for intellectuals. No longer were there huge big bands, but smaller groups that did not play for dancing audiences but for listening audiences.

The variety of jazz music is impressive, from blues to swing to bepop to Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz in more recent years.  It involves large bands or small groups or even soloist performances.  

The United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established International Jazz Day in 2011 to recognize and promote the importance of jazz and uniting people all over the world.  Herbie Hancock, legendary jazz pianist and composer, has played a vital part in developing and promoting the day.  He said the following:

When a human being is oppressed, the natural tendency is to feel anger. Jazz is a response to oppression that is not bullets and blood. Jazz is the expression of harmony ... and at the same time of hope and freedom.

Plan some at-home lessons about jazz.  There are many famous jazz artists about whom your children can read and learn, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie.

For more information, please visit:

• Jazz Day

• Scholastic - History of Jazz

• Smithsonian - What is Jazz?

Celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15

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“There is not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.”

                                                            - Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 was established in 2004 by Major League Baseball in honor of this great hero of the sport.  Just who was this man and why should your children learn about him and his accomplishments? You don’t have to be a baseball or sports fan to appreciate his story as the first black athlete to play in the major leagues in 1947.

Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia in 1919 to a single mother.  He was always good in sports, playing basketball, track, baseball and football. He attended college, continuing to play in all those sports and was even recognized as his region’s Most Valuable Player in baseball in 1938.  Unfortunately, he was unable to graduate due to financial hardships.

When the United States entered into World War II, Robinson enlisted and served in the Army from 1942-1944.  While he was in boot camp, he was arrested and charged with failing to move to the back of a segregated bus because he refused to give up his seat.  After the trial, he was acquitted and received an honorable discharge.  He continued to fight racial segregation the rest of his life.

He began playing baseball professionally for the Negro Leagues, because of racial segregation.  The president of the Brooklyn Dodgers saw him play and believed he would be a great asset to the team, since he particularly desired to bring integration to the Major Leagues. Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, playing his first game on April 15, 1947. 

During his successful career, Robinson won many awards because of his tremendous athletic abilities. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1947.  In 1949, he was named the Most Valuable Player in the National League.  He even was named a World Series champ in 1955.  He was the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Of course, Robinson suffered harassment and slurs because of his race, even from his own teammates.  The Dodgers’ manager stood by Robinson and told his teammates that he would rather trade them than Robinson. When fans yelled out racial slurs during one game, Robinson went and put his arm around a teammate. This incident became famous throughout sports’ history.  After retiring from baseball, he continued to be active in the movement for civil rights and social justice.

There are many children’s books, movies and documentaries about Robinson.  I encourage you to spend time with your children learning and discussing about this great hero.

Creating Thanksgiving Traditions with Your Children

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Thanksgiving Day is a day when we celebrate and give thanks as a nation, community and family.  Our celebrations should include family traditions, which are special to our family.  Have you considered creating family traditions that will be life-long memories for your children?  Some can be elaborate and some just simple.  Here are a variety of ideas.

Instead of waiting for Thanksgiving Day to talk about what you are grateful for, consider starting on November 1 and have your children write down what they are grateful for during each day in the month.  This will teach and encourage your children to be thankful on days other than just Thanksgiving Day.

What about getting off the sofa and going outside for some fun!  Sometime during the Thanksgiving Day festivities, do a special sport activity in which each member of the family can participate.   For example, you can organize a tag football game.  Those who do not want to actually play in the game can stand on the sidelines and be the cheerleaders, referees or score keeper.

Another suggestion is to select a person or persons in the community to whom your family can be a blessing.  Perhaps it’s a senior citizen who is a neighbor but who has no children nearby.  Ask that person to join your Thanksgiving Day festivities or visit them, bringing Thanksgiving cheer and food. 

Consider volunteering to spend a few hours serving those who are less fortunate.  Many nonprofits have activities on Thanksgiving Day and volunteering with your children will show them how, as Christians, to put words into action.  Giving to and assisting those who are less fortunate is an important Bible principle.

There are so many traditions that can be started in your family.  Just select one or two and develop those loving memories that will always be cherished.

To find out about more family traditions that you can start, read:

• Thanksgiving Traditions

• 6 New Thanksgiving Traditions with Kids

President Abraham Lincoln Proclaimed Thanksgiving Day

Do you know the history of Thanksgiving Day?  It was President Abraham Lincoln who issued a proclamation in 1863 that we must have a day set aside to acknowledge and celebrate God for our great country.  It was because of him that we now celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a holiday in November.

Read the full proclamation below.

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Note: This is a repost of a blog post on November 23, 2015 as I believe it is very important for us to know how and why Thanksgiving Day was set aside.

Do You Know What Halloween is Really all About?

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Have you ever thought about what Halloween is?  I venture to say that a majority of people do not know where it originated and the true history of this unusual celebration.  And, yes, it has become a time for dressing up in all sorts of costumes and partying, and of course, for children, trick-or-treating for candy.  My faith-based children’s book tells the true history of Halloween and I’m sure that you will learn a lot!

Please order it online by CLICKING HERE or at your favorite online bookstore. 

Spend the Month of July in Space Exploration with Your Children

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Starting on July 16, NASA has a series of scheduled events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing.  This is a wonderful time to introduce your children to or expand their knowledge of the history of space exploration and NASA’s plans for the future.  NASA’s website has a wealth of information specifically for children.

The events commemorating the 50th anniversary range from interviews with past astronauts to discussions of the agency’s future plans.  Please visit the website below to get all the information and how to participate in or just view the events.

On another section of its website, it has information about its plans for the future, which it refers to as “Moon to Mars”.  Specifically, its plans include the following: “Working with U.S. companies and international partners, NASA will push the boundaries of human exploration forward to the Moon and on to Mars.  NASA is working to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon within the next decade to uncover new scientific discoveries and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy.”  It states that the missions to the Moon and Mars are intertwined as the Moon will be an experimental area and stepping-stone for eventually traveling to Mars.  There can be no doubt that the mission to Mars will be challenging, as it is a 34 million mile trip to get there.

NASA has dedicated a portion of its websites to students, whom it refers to as the “Next Generation of Explorers”.  A considerable amount of information is provided in a child-friendly format. There is even a link to NASA’s Kid Club with games for children to play, from test driving a machine on Mars to a printable puzzle booklet.  

This month is a unique opportunity for children to learn more about space exploration and exciting plans for the future.  You might even learn a thing or two as well!

Please visit:

• Live TV ReBroadcast

• Moon to Mars Overview

• For Students

Make Plans Ahead of Time to Celebrate July 4th

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July 4th is just around the corner.  What plans do you have to celebrate this holiday?  My children’s book It’s Not About You Mrs. Firecracker – A Love Letter About the True Meaning of the Fourth of July is available to help you and your children learn more about this important day in our history.  Why do we celebrate that day? It is not all about the food and firecrackers!  

To learn more and order a copy, please CLICK HERE.

Celebrating March as Women’s History Month

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March is celebrated annually as Women’s History Month.  It began back in 1911 when the first international women’s day was held.  In 1980, President Jimmy Carter entered a proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980 as Women’s History Week to celebrate all the contributions that women have made.  Seven years later, the U.S. Congress passed a public law authorizing the president to declare the month of March each year as Women’s History Month.

The National Women’s History Alliance selects the theme each year.  For 2019, the theme is “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence”.  This theme honors "women who have led efforts to end war, violence, and injustice and pioneered the use of nonviolence to change society."

An excellent source of information about women’s history is www.womenshistory.org.   It has an enormous amount of information about events and also features articles, exhibits, and even has tools for students and educators.

I encourage parents to spend time with their children learning more about women in history. Perhaps consider volunteering at your children’s schools or at a community event to promote the importance of women.Women have played vital roles in our families, communities, and governments.Our children must learn more about the contributions of women to truly appreciate them.

Things to do With Your Children to Celebrate Black History Month

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The month of February is designated as Black History Month or African-American History Month.  It began as a week-long celebration declared by historian Carl B. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1926 for the week of February 12.  In the April, 1926 edition of The Journal of Negro History, Woodson argued that the perpetual study of the Black race was critical for its survival and prominence:

“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization.”

Initially, the celebration had little support.  However, as years passed, it gained momentum, until ultimately in 1976, when President Gerald Ford gave the presidential stamp of approval for a month-long celebration.   Today, a month is set aside annually to celebrate Black history not only in the United States but also in Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

As my blog is geared toward children and literacy, I would like to encourage parents, teachers and others to spend time helping children to learn more about Black history and all the accomplishments that African-Americans have made.  There is quite a bit of information on the internet and specifically for children, I enjoy the Reading Rockets website because it has a variety of information to assist children in learning – from children’s books, events, television and internet programs to online guides and much more. 

Please spend some time on the website to decide what you will plan and do with your children.  Make a commitment to help your children grow in knowledge, understanding, and appreciation.  

For more information, please CLICK HERE.

Explaining Politics to Your Children

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It’s February 2019 and already activities are gearing up for the presidential election in November 2020.  At least two persons have launched their presidential bids in the past two weeks.  Soon, more and more people will announce.  I believe that now is a key opportunity to begin discussing with your children what is happening in the political arena and take civics more seriously.   Your children will certainly hear statements made outside the home about various politicians, so why not have them engaged at home first so that they can understand the issues involved in the various campaigns and positions of each politician and political party better.

You may be wondering whether your children are even interested in politics and I think that you will be pleasantly surprised that many of them are.  In an interesting article online at kidshealth.org entitled Talking Politics: What to Say to Your Kids, the results of a survey conducted by it of more than 2,000 children and teens throughout the United States were revealed.  “A whopping 75% of kids and 79% of teens answered ‘yes’ when asked whether they thought that the outcome of an election (presidential) would change their lives. Nearly half of teens surveyed said that they believed they'd had at least some influence on their parents' choice of candidate.” 

The article strongly supports talking with your children about their viewpoints and not being critical of what they have to say.  Provide them with information and discuss various sides of an issue.  This will help them become more analytical and not just rely on a friend’s opinion but actually be able to question why someone has such an opinion and voice their own opinions with confidence.     

The coming presidential election is a hot topic and the more your children understand the issues, the more they can actively participate in discussions and enjoy the learning process.  They may even want to participate and help a candidate.  And, most important of all, when they turn 18 years old, they will want to register to vote because they know their vote matters.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Teach Your Children About Martin Luther King, Jr.

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This Monday January 21 is celebrated as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday.  As children will be home from school, I encourage parents to spend time teaching their children about this icon of the civil rights movement. 

To assist you, I have searched the internet and can say that there is an abundance of information about him, but I would like to focus on what is available specifically for children.  At the end of this blog is a list of websites where you can find a plethora of information, including books.   PBS.org has a list of 17 excellent children books about him and others involved in the movement, such as Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges, a 6 year-old heroine who was the first to integrate a New Orleans school back in 1960.  Spend some time with your children going to a book store to purchase a book or to the public library.  Once your child has a book, sit down and talk with him about it.  Ask questions.  This period of time is of such importance in our history.  You may even learn something new!

The Today Show just posted on its website an article about helping children to learn about King.  Depending on your children’s age groups, there are suggestions as to different types of discussions regarding the various people and issues of the time.  Several short videos are also provided on the webpage that share more interesting facts.

Additional recommendations can be found at the website care.com in an informative article about King.  Consider having your children participate in an art project or volunteer activity all about King and the movement.

Writer Erin Dower provides principles to talk about with your children in the online article 8 MLK Jr. Values to Instill in Your Kids.  I like this article because it gives simple yet profound values taken from King’s life and discusses how children can incorporate these values into their own lives. 

There is so much information available about King and the civil rights movement.  Please enjoy a relaxing day off on Monday, but also include time to help your children learn more about him and the immense reforms that came about because of his leadership and dedication.

• PBS - Adventures in Learning

• Today - How to Tell Kids Story of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• Care - How to Explain MLK Jr. Day to Your Kids

• Family Education - 8 MLK Jr. Values to Instill in Your Kids 

How Did Labor Day Start?

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In the United States, we will celebrate Labor Day on Monday, September 4.  It is not just a day to pull out the barbecue grill one last time before autumn hits.  It is a very important federal holiday commemorating the Labor Movement of the 19th century that sought to end the poor and unfair treatment of American workers.   Take some time to learn about the history of this holiday and share it with your children because there is quite a lot to learn and commemorate.

In the late 1800s, during the period known as the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the majority of people worked in factories, mills, and mines under unsafe and unsanitary conditions, 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, for very little pay.  Children as young as 5 years old were working as well for less pay than adults.  There was no quality of life in the work place. The only way that workers believed their voices would be heard was through forming unions and taking part in strikes and organized marches.  

The first and arguably the most influential march was held on September 5, 1882 in New York City.  This was the same day that the union, Nobel Order of the Knights of Labor, was planning on meeting in the city, so it decided to invite other unions as well.  About 20,000 workers gave up an entire day’s pay to participate and the march soon turned into a parade.  This was the first parade of many to come.  Over a decade later, in 1896, President Grover Cleveland decided to make the day a national holiday while many states, such as Oregon, New York, Colorado, and Massachusetts, had already recognized the day for several years.

There were some workers who were not allowed to participate in these marches or parades, such as African Americans.  While the Knights of Labor union was race inclusive, African American workers could not be members of the majority of white labor unions.  Despite the racism and aversion by the white workers towards them, African American workers were still able to band together and create unions of their own, one of which was the Colored National Labor Union (CNLU).  The Knights of Labor and the CNLU were some of the most powerful unions at the time.

The Knights of Labor union was almost fully responsible for the first Labor Day celebration and the CNLU was successful in arranging employee benefits and fair wages for its workers.  Unfortunately, the two unions would eventually die out before Labor Day was recognized as a national holiday.

It is important for our children to understand the history behind our national holidays, including this one.  Labor Day is not about barbecues and marking the end of summer- it is about ending the unfair treatment of workers and actually celebrating the innovation and creativity of American workers and the many contributions they have made. 

Celebrate National Women’s Equality Day on August 26

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There has been a long history in this country of women fighting inequality, whether it be the start of the feminist movement in the mid-1800s or the women of today demanding equal treatment in the workplace and in politics.  Even with the strides that women have made since the banding together of the Suffragettes, there is still more work to be done.  Importantly, however, we must acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice of many outstanding women, including the following:

1.    Ida B. Wells. This courageous woman played one of the most integral parts in the feminist and civil rights movements. As an African American woman born in 1862 Mississippi, she knew first-hand about discrimination. Her struggles inspired her to create an all-black publication titled The Free Speech, which exposed the inequalities and mistreatment that came with being black in the South. When given the choice to stop her publication or be killed, she did neither.  She moved to the North, and she never stopped production of The Free Speech.

Not only was she disliked by white men at the time, but also some women. When she marched in the 1913 suffrage parade, she was shunned by many of the women involved - some even refusing to march alongside her because she was a woman of color. Through it all, she stayed headstrong and continued to focus on issues that plagued the African American community.  She never gave up the fight. She truly was an exemplary woman and is still a role model for many today!

2.    Patsy Mink. Born in Hawaii in 1927, Patsy grew up to become a lawyer and then became the first Asian American elected to Congress. She was actually the first woman of color to serve in that position. In her time there, she co-authored Title IX, a federal law that prohibits any educational facility from discriminating against a person because of his/her gender.  

3.    Sylvia Mendez.  Sylvia’s father was a Mexican immigrant and her mother was from Puerto Rico.  In the 1940s, when she was a child, schools in California were segregated into “Whites only”, which had better books and curriculum, and “Hispanics”.  To fight this racism, her parents attempted to enroll her and her siblings in a “Whites only” school, but were denied.  They took the matter to court and eventually won.  As a result, the governor of California was forced to desegregate all schools and public places.  Her lawsuit paved the way and was a reference for similar cases, such as the famous Brown v. Board of Education, which brought desegregation to all schools. She is one of the primary reasons that we have integrated classrooms today.

4.    Wilma Mankiller.  Wilma gained notoriety after her very memorable protest at Alcatraz Island alongside other Native Americans who were reclaiming the land in 1969 since the federal government was not using the prison anymore.  She later began working for the Cherokee Nation government as a director of community development and was eventually able to climb up the political ladder and become the first female principle chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1985.

5.    Molly Dewson.  College educated, Molly began her foray into politics in her home state of Massachusetts, where she worked for an organization promoting women’s education, the rights of women in the workplace, and the social advancement of women.  Later, she joined Eleanor Roosevelt to motivate women to vote in the 1932 presidential election for Franklin D. Roosevelt. After his victory, she was instrumental in getting women to be appointed to high government positions, including Secretary of Labor.  

What women inspire you?  Talk with your children about those referred to in my blog and other famous women.

To find out more information about these and other phenomenal women, visit THIS PAGE or CLICK HERE.