Our Labor of Love Continues

Our Linked Arms Queens,

As Labor Day has come and gone, let us remember the space and time in which we stand today—held within the hearts, arms, and enduring legacy of those who came before us. Their courage, sacrifices, wisdom, and love helped make room for our voices and our possibilities.

During this season, let us take a moment to pause, breathe, embrace, and honor. Honor the hands that worked, the shoulders that carried families, and the hearts that believed a better future was possible.

Labor Day honors working people and the struggle for fair pay, safe workplaces, and dignity. It became a federal holiday in 1894, recognizing workers’ contributions to this country. U.S. Department of Labor

For Black Americans, this remembrance carries particular weight. Our history includes enslaved ancestors whose labor was taken without freedom or wages, and generations who faced discrimination in employment and exclusion from many labor unions. Black workers organized, challenged injustice, and demanded that their humanity and contributions be respected. National Archives

We remember A. Philip Randolph and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, whose organizing secured a landmark agreement in 1937 that improved wages, job security, and protections for Black railroad workers. Their example reminds us of what people can accomplish when they stand together. National Park Service

We remember the Black sanitation workers in Memphis who carried signs declaring “I AM A MAN” in 1968. Their demands for safety, fair wages, and recognition brought labor rights and civil rights together. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood with them in the final days of his life. Stanford’s King Institute

We also honor Black women such as Dorothy Bolden, who organized domestic workers and demanded respect for the women caring for other people’s homes and families. Their leadership belongs in the story we tell about work, dignity, and justice. National Domestic Workers Alliance

Linked Arms Queens, this legacy speaks to the work we carry today. As family child care providers, educators, business owners, and advocates, we nurture children and make it possible for families to work. Our knowledge deserves recognition. Our labor deserves fair compensation. Our voices deserve a place wherever decisions affecting our livelihoods are made.

And Queens, we deserve rest. We deserve joy, tenderness, and the same care we so freely extend to others. May we make room to check on one another, celebrate each other’s progress, and offer support when a sister’s load becomes heavy.

The hope we carry grows through our shared commitment: to honor those who came before us, care for those beside us, and widen the possibilities for those who will follow. Each Queen brings wisdom to this community. Together, we can keep building a future where our children, our families, and our providers have what they need to thrive.

In unity, in equity, we are Linked Arms.

Welcome to the Queendom.

Love,

Mary and Trenise