From the South Central Michigan Greens
South Central Michigan Greens
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Calhoun, Hillsdale, and Jackson Counties Local
People and planet over profit.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 3, 2017
For more information:
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Monika Schwab, Local Contact/SCMiGreens
John Anthony La Pietra, Co-Founder/SCMiGreens
"Make the Connection" Between Labor and
Labor Day Saturday 9/2 Starting at 11am
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Labor Day Weekend History Walk in Marshall
Sponsored by South Central Michigan Greens
A walk between two labor landmarks in Marshall on Saturday morning,
September 2 will give people an opportunity to "make the connection"
between labor and Labor Day.
The walk will start at 11 am at the intersection of East Drive, East
Mansion Street, and Michigan Avenue, across from the VFW Hall --
original site of the house where a union known as the Brotherhood of the
Footboard was founded in 1863.
That land now bears a monument put up by the union in 1943 -- and a
plaque to another piece of what could be called Marshall's "labor"
history: the 1847 Crosswhite Incident, where city residents helped
protect an escaped slave and his family from agents of his former owner.
The house, home to founder Jared C. "Yankee" Thompson, has been moved to
633 West Hanover (at the corner of Linden) -- where the walk will end.
The site sports one of Marshall's many state historical markers.
The union -- perhaps the oldest in the US -- has also endured, and is
now known as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
After reading the inscriptions on the two monuments at the start,
walkers will pay their respects to those who have labored before --
including a site clean-up, weather permitting -- and then start toward
the Thompson home.
On the way, the walk will visit the Marshall Area Farmers' Market at 125
West Green Street, in the parking lot of Zion Lutheran Church across
from the Marshall District Library.
Walkers will also stop at the Marshall Peace Park on the south side of
Michigan Avenue a block and a half east of the Fountain Circle, clean up
the park, then complete the 1.3-mile trip. A map of the route is
available at
The walk is sponsored by the South Central Michigan Greens local, which
covers Calhoun, Jackson, and Hillsdale Counties.
"Michigan has a total of fifteen entries in the Inventory of American
Labor Landmarks, and two of them are right here in Marshall," notes
local co-founder John Anthony La Pietra, who has been making the walk
for several years. "They give us a way to remember what Labor Day is
all about.
"We welcome anyone who is willing to join us in taking time, on a
holiday brought to us BY the People, to honor the other benefits
grassroots organized working people have brought all of us . . .
everything from safer workplaces to workdays and -weeks short enough to
leave some precious time for an actual family life -- and even the
chance to live free in the first place."
# # #
The Four Pillars of GPMI:
Grassroots Democracy
Social Justice
Ecological Wisdom
Non-Violence
For our Ten Key Values, add:
Community-Based Economics
Decentralization
Feminism
Future Focus/Sustainability
Personal and Global Responsibility
Respect for Diversity
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WHO:
The public at large; sponsored by South Central Michigan Greens local.
WHAT:
Labor Day Weekend Labor History Walk
WHEN:
Starting at 11 am on Saturday, September 2.
WHERE:
Starting at the intersection of Michigan Avenue, East Drive, and East
Mansion Street in Marshall (across from the VFW Hall).
WHY:
To "make the connection" between labor and Labor Day.