Happy Labor Day, America : A Good Day to Consider Donald Trump's Detroit Speech to the Congregation of the Great Faith Ministries Church

It's Labor Day in The United States on Monday. In the late 19th century, as trade union and labor movements grew, different groups of trade unionists celebrated labor on different days. In the United States and Canada, a September holiday, called Labor or Labour Day, was first proposed in the 1880s. In 1882, Matthew Maguire, a machinist, first proposed a Labor Day holiday while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Some say that Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor put forward the first proposal in May 1882, after witnessing the annual labor festival held in Toronto, Canada. In 1887 Oregon became the first state of the United States to make Labor Day an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty US states officially celebrated Labor Day. By 1887 in North America, Labor Day was an established, official holiday. ~~~~~~ Normally, on holidays, I only write a topical blog to celebrate the holiday. But, I was moved by Donald Trump's Saturday speech at the Great Faith Ministries black church in Detroit and tour of parts of the devastation that is today's Detroit. It fits the celebration of Labor Day because Trump's message to the black community in America has included a strong message about jobs and rehabilitating inner cities where some black Americans are trapped in low-employment, substandard-school and high-crime environments. On Saturday, Donald Trump went to the poster child of the problem -- Detroit -- to deliver a message of unity in his first visit to a predominantly black church, promising to carry on Abraham Lincoln's legacy if elected President. His words were inspiring and reminiscent of the great speeches that defined the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The American Thinker website called the moment : "perhaps, his finest hour. In soaring, Churchillian prose, Donald Trump addressed a black church in Detroit on Saturday." Trump spoke to the congregation : "Becoming the nominee of the party of Abraham Lincoln...has been the greatest honor of my life. It is on his legacy that I hope to build the future of the party, but more importantly, the future of the country. Our nation is too divided. We talk past each other, not to each other, and those who seek office do not do enough to step into the community and learn what is going on. I'm here today to learn so that we can together remedy injustice in any form, and so we can also remedy economics so African American communities can benefit economically through jobs and income." Trump has struggled with black voters during his campaign, and has suffered from the attempts of Hillary Clinotn and the Democrat Party to label him a "racist," something he clearly is not. But, recent polls have shown Trump with 2% favorability among African Americans. He has appealed to black voters, including asking them "what the hell do you have to lose" by voting against Democrats. But he has faced criticism for speaking to them while at campaign events in front of predominantly white crowds. Well, on Saturday, Trump spoke directly to African Americans, promising to defend their right to worship and to bring back jobs to their city, saying : "I want to help you build and rebuild Detroit. We can do that. We're one nation. When anyone hurts, we all hurt together. We're all brothers and sisters, and we're all created by the same God. We must love each other and support each other. We're all in this together." Opening his speech by calling the African-American church "one of God's greatest gifts to America," Trump placed a heavy focus on religion and Christianity : "I will always support your church, always, and defend your right to worship. Christian faith is not the past, but the present and the future. There is perhaps no action our leaders can take that would do more to heal our country and support our people than to provide a greater platform to the black churches and church goers." ~~~~~~ Omarosa Manigault, a former reality TV star who helps the campaign on black outreach, and Dr. Ben Carson, famed neurosurgeon and former presidential rival turned Trump advisor and surrogate, were with him when Trump was given a prayer shawl and a Bible by Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, who told Trump : "There are going to be some times in your life that you are going to feel forsaken, you are going to feel down, but the anointing is going to lift you up." Bishop Jackson then proceeded to cloak Trump in the shawl and present him with a Bible, saying : "We have it especially for you, and we have one for your wife. Because when things go down, you can study the word of God. When things seem like they are almost impossible, you will read Mark 9:23 — ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible.’” ~~~~~~ Dear readers, find the video of the prayer shawl ceremony online; it is beautifully moving. Great Faith Ministries International sent written invitations to both Trump and Clinton. Trump responded. He was there. As he was there in Louisiana. His message was sincere, solemn, and sober. It was presidential and surely will be remembered as a significant step on Donald Trump's journey to the White House. He talked about driving with Bishop Wayne T. Jackson past boarded up businesses, affirming : "I want to help you build and rebuild Detroit. And we can do that, especially with people like Bishop and Dr. Jackson." In this bruising presidential campaign that so often is forced to focus on lies and deceit, consider the words of Donald Trump : "For centuries the African American church has been the conscience of our country. It's from the pews and pulpits and Christian teachings of black churches all across this land that the civil rights movement lifted its soul and lifted up the soul of the nation. It's from these pews that our nation has been inspired toward a better moral character, a deeper concern for mankind, and a spirit of charity and unity that binds us all together. The African American faith community has been one [of] God's greatest gifts to America and to its people. There is perhaps no action our leaders can take that would do more to heal our country and support our people than to provide a greater platform to the black churches and churchgoers. You do right everyday by your community and your families. You raise children in the light of God. I will always support your church and defend your right to worship. I am here today to listen to your message. And I hope my presence here will help your voice to reach new audiences in our country. And many of these audiences desperately need your spirit and your thought. Christian faith is not the past, but the present and the future. Make it stronger." Happy Labor Day, America.