The Labor Day program will be held Monday, Sept. 5, in Whitley Auditorium.
Elon University will celebrate Labor Day this year with a new program honoring the history, music and art of laborers and the work force in the United States.
The Sept. 5 program serves as a way to pay tribute to the federal holiday and the workers it honors by drawing on the expertise and talents of Elon’s faculty. The event, which will start at 12:15 p.m. in Whitley Auditorium, is being held at midday to allow as many students, faculty and staff to attend as possible.
Elon has traditionally held classes and continued business operations on the federal holiday, in large part because the date falls early in the university’s academic calendar, typically just after classes have started for the year. Jeff Clark, professor of mathematics, was among the chief advocates of finding a way to honor the history and important role of labor in this country on the holiday.
Clark’s father was a member of the Communications Workers of America union and worked at Bell Telephone Co. of Pennsylvania, giving Clark a personal and emotional connection to organized labor in the country. Monday’s program can help educate those in the Elon community who might not be as familiar to the role that labor has played in this country’s economy, Clark said.
“Organized labor has been in such a decline since the 1980s,” Clark said. “Our students come to campus with so many experiences, but may not be as familiar with the culture of people who do what’s typically called ‘blue collar work.'”
Jason Husser, assistant professor of political science, helped organize the program for Monday’s celebration, and said he was surprised by the robust response from faculty and staff when a call went out for ideas for the event. “What we found was a wide array of people who have a variety of experiences related to labor,” Husser said. “We wound up with a fairly eclectic program that has a lot of things to acknowledge about the role that labor has in society today, and in the past.”
Brooke Barnett, associate provost for inclusive community and communications professor, echoed those thoughts. “We have faculty in the performing arts, the visual arts and music theory along with staff in human resources who have contributed ideas,” she said. “It’s a nice blend of first-person perspectives as well as academic insights.”
Monday’s program includes an overview of the history of organized labor in the U.S. by Jim Bissett, professor of history; research about tobacco laborers in Appalachia shared by Tonmoy Islam, who is an assistant professor of economics; and photography from Ken Hassell, an adjunct associate professor emeritus of art who worked for more than a decade as a laborer. Steve Jones, human resources director for the city of Raleigh, will discuss the work force, including diversity, changing demographics and current needs.
Interwoven through the program will be music associated with labor, with explanations about the connections of the musical works offered by Robin Attas, assistant professor of music. Additionally, faculty are being provided with links to resources about the changing role of labor in the U.S. economy that can be integrated into classes this fall.
“We’re excited that it’s going to be an interactive and multimedia program,” Barnett said.