Mon 9/5
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge’s annual 11th Congressional District Caucus Labor Day Parade is always a festive occasion with elected officials, candidates, labor unions, cities agencies, nonprofit groups, lodges, black sororities and fraternities, high school bands, drill teams and more walking the long stretch of Kinsman Road to Luke Easter Park. Started 45 years ago by Congressman Louis Stokes, the tradition was continued by his successor Stephanie Tubbs-Jones and now by Fudge, her successor.
This year the event had some very special guests: Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. Both spoke at a post-parade rally in the park, which also featured Senator Sherrod Brown, Senate candidate Ted Strickland, and national labor leaders AFSCME president Lee Saunders, Randy Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers and national AFL-CIO president Rich Trumka.
While much of the media focused on Hillary’s coughing spell at the start of her speech, the crowd was appreciative of her full-throated support for labor, her message on job creation (She promised to be the “You’re Hired” president in contrast to Trump’s signature slogan, “You’re fired!) and her promise to make college more affordable. She drew attention to one of Donald Trump’s most outrageous remarks — “I alone can fix it” — as she pointed out that collective effort is required to accomplish anything.
Food trucks, vendors and information booths added to the festive holiday occasion. And the park was overrun with voter registration workers, making sure the energy generated by Clinton and Kaine is translated into action in November.
View the PHOTOSTREAM here.
