Blessed Are The Laborers: By Diran Avagyan

As a first generation Armenian-American immigrant, I place great importance on the value of work. I firmly believe in giving at least eight hours of honest labor each day so that it may bear fruit. For me, Labor Day is a reminder of the struggles immigrants endure, the social disparities they face, and the success they achieve through resilience and hard work.

Labor Day celebrates, first and foremost, workers who often face economic hardship and must take on several jobs simply to put bread on the table. It celebrates those who leave behind their former lives, education, credentials, careers, and professional experience, come to this country, and begin a new life in the face of both explicit and implicit bias.

Labor Day celebrates those who work during the day and attend language classes at night to learn English. It celebrates those who succeed in their new careers and are not ashamed of their accents. It celebrates hardworking men and women caught between tax brackets, who earn modest incomes yet willingly sacrifice for their children's education.

Labor Day celebrates those who drive an old car that leaks oil and consumes too much gas. It celebrates those who wake up every morning and check their banking app to make sure their bills have cleared and nothing has bounced. It celebrates those who cannot afford to take time off for an annual medical checkup. It celebrates those who anxiously wait for the resolution of their immigration status.

Labor Day also celebrates the next generation, those who understand and appreciate the value of hard work and recognize the sacrifices of those who came before them, to whom they owe much of their success.

Labor Day celebrates you, for “you will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours” (Psalm 128:2).