The Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition 46th annual Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally will be held Monday in Wilmington to mark Labor Day with the theme “Labor Unions Fighting for a Better Tomorrow.”
What organizers bill as one of the nation’s largest Labor Day parades is set to begin at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Broad Avenue and E Street, go west on E Street to Avalon Boulevard, continue north on Avalon Boulevard to M Street, concluding at Banning Park.
A picnic and rally is set to begin at 11 a.m. at Banning Park. The rally program is set for 11:30 a.m. with labor guest speakers and an introduction of elected officials, organizers said.
A kids’ zone will include face painting, popcorn, cotton candy, a puppet show and book giveaway. There will be 40 vendor booths of various unions and labor organizations to distribute free informational materials.
The picnic will also include music and dancing at the main stage. It is set to end at 4 p.m.
In his Labor Day proclamation, President Donald Trump wrote, “From the earliest days of our American story, our Nation’s future has been molded by the skill, determination, and unwavering resilience of the American worker. From the earliest settlers, who laid the foundations of a new nation to the innovators who built our railroads, steel mills and skyscrapers, America’s greatness has always rested in the strength of its workforce.
“This Labor Day, we honor the proud legacy of America’s workforce — and we pay tribute to the unbreakable spirit that keeps it strong nearly 250 years later.”
Labor Day, the yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the nation’s strength, prosperity and well-being, was first celebrated on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City.
In 1887, Oregon became the first state to formally recognize Labor Day. By 1894, 31 of the then-44 states had made Labor Day a holiday when Congress passed a bill designating the first Monday in September a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and territories.