Labor Day became an official federal holiday in 1894. For many, it ushers in the end of the summer and serves as a nice day off from work to enter the fall season. But its origin story is as a celebration of workers, and it was born out of the 19th-century labor movement at a time when the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks just to feed their families and survive (and, in many homes, children were working in mills and factories, too).

Whether you’re working or not, today is a great day to recognize the laborers of 2021. After a year where Americans became much more aware of the “essential” worker, the role each of us plays in making society function and how foundational employment is to so many of our day-to-day lives, it isn’t hard to imagine this being a particularly special Labor Day.

With that in mind, I’ve given the Tangle team (and myself) the day off today to recognize this national holiday. We’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow!

In the meantime, if you’re looking for something to read, check out our Friday (subscribers-only) edition from Afghan-American author Tamim Ansary, who published a piece with us sharing his perspective on the war and the rural-urban divide in Afghanistan. You can read it here.

All the best,

Isaac & the Tangle team