The United States (U.S) Embassy in Nairobi has announced that it will be closed on Monday, September 1 in observance of Labour Day.
This move is in tandem with President Donald Trump’s proclamation of September 1, being the first Monday of September, as Labour Day.
“I call upon all public officials and people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the contributions and resilience of working Americans,” President Trump proclaimed.
The 47th President of the U.S also affirmed that Labour Day will be an opportunity for Americans to renew the pledge to protect American jobs and defend the dignity of American labour — proudly acknowledging the vital role that workers play in the past, present, and glorious American future.
“Every day, my Administration is restoring the dignity of labor and putting the American worker first. We are making it easier to buy American and hire American, breathing new life into our manufacturing cities, and securing fair trade deals that protect our jobs and reward our productivity,” President Trump says. “We are amassing hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff revenue and ensuring that every product of American craftsmanship is appreciated for its true value in overseas markets. Under my leadership, we are bringing jobs back to America — and those jobs are going to American-born workers.”
As opposed to many countries in the world which mark Labour Day on 1st May, the U.S observe the day on the first Monday of September.
It is a day to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers.
The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labour activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
At that time when Labour Day was in its inception stage, people in the labour movement included socialists, communists, and anarchists, and this rankled U.S. politicians. They didn’t want to encourage anything from these political groups.
This informed the decision by President Cleveland to formally adopt the currently maintained first-Monday-in-September date for the country’s workers’ and workers’ rights commemoration in 1894.
