Labor Day weekend is a good news/bad news type of holiday.
If you’re an autumn person, this weekend marks a gradual climb into Ohio’s most colorful and pleasant time of year.
If you’re not, this weekend represents the traditional end of summer (although that doesn’t actually happen until the fall equinox on Sept. 22) and a long, sad slide into gloomy winter.
But let’s not dwell on the the negative, summer people. Labor Day in Ohio has strong Cleveland roots, a fact you can drop at whatever festival or backyard gathering you may attend this weekend. We all know that Labor Day was established to honor the social and economic contributions of workers. What you may not know is that a bill to establish the holiday in Ohio was introduced by John P. Green, a Black legislator from Cleveland four years before it became a national holiday in 1894.
Green, a representative in the Ohio House, introduced legislation that led to Ohio establishing Labor Day in 1890, according to Ohio History Central.
Green was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1882-1883 and 1890-1891. He served in the Ohio Senate from 1892-1893.
Have a great holiday.
