Entertainment for the Masses on Labor Day
By Melina Paris, Contributing Writer
The Los Angeles / Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition presents the largest Labor Day event in the western half of United States, Sept. 4 at Wilmington’s Banning Park. The labor solidarity parade will march on the streets featuring dozens of unions, labor organizations and schools.
The theme of the 38th annual Labor Day Parade is Union Proud Union Strong. Union members, supporters and their families are all expected and the public is invited to the parade and rally from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Adding music to the festivities will be the popular Brian Young and the Blues Station returning for the 10th year. There will also be a special guest performance by rapper Jacob Cerna, also known as Phamiliar.
In keeping with the trend in labor to remove biases in the workplace, Phamiliar addresses biases in scholastic settings via an anti-bullying campaign.
Young won the 1999-2000 Battle of the Blues Bands in Irvine Lake. The self-taught musician hails from East St. Louis, Illinois. His influences include BB King, Albert King, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. He has worked with many artists such as Harmonica Fats and Lowell Fulsom. Young keeps audiences entertained with his soulful style and his passion to keep the blues alive.
Phamiliar brand of rhyme is unique and homegrown; he hails from San Pedro. You can find his weekly Hot 16 videos on YouTube, often filmed at local popular spots in the Harbor Area.
The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City AFL-CIO will prepare and serve barbeque. The event will feature speakers from a number of unions and have more than 40 information booths.
“Labor Day is a day set aside to honor working people. Workers exercise their right to organize and march together,” said Los Angeles / Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition Chairman Larry Barragan. “Fortunately, the labor movement in California has demonstrated to the nation how we can resist [the Trump] administration’s unprecedented policy by rallying together and fighting back. We will not be threatened easily as we have historically set the standard for working men and women in this country if not the world. From Hollywood to the docks and from San Diego to Sacramento, we stand proud and fight strong! We are the UNION!”
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