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In today’s blog post, the Center for Social Solutions takes a look back at the historic events that occurred during the month of September. While these incidents are now matters of the past, each one has had a significant impact on life today. Events related to each of the center’s four initiatives—the Value of Diversity; Slavery and Its Aftermath; Water, Equity and Security; and the Future of Work—are included.

 

September 3, 1838

Frederick Douglass, known for his battle against slavery, boarded a train from Maryland to Delaware, clad in a disguise. He made his way to New York City, where he was then protected by the Underground Railway network. Douglass played an integral role in the abolition of American slavery that we still remember and admire today. 

 

September 4, 1959

Influencing the future of work, the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 protects union members by establishing requirements for organization leaders, preserving union funds, and regulating labor organization operations. Unions remain an important form of support for workers today; most recently, thousands of GM workers have gone on strike against their employer in a battle for better pay.

 

September 11, 2001

On a day that Americans will never forget, New York City’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. were attacked by terrorists, while a fourth hijacked flight crashed fatally before reaching its unknown target. This immense tragedy presented a challenge to the acceptance of a diverse nation, but Americans found unity in collective mourning. Today, we still grieve the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and come together as a country in remembrance of this calamity.

 

September 16, 2004

As one of the most catastrophic storms to hit the U.S., Hurricane Ivan struck Gulf Shores, Alabama and made its way to Mississippi and Florida, wreaking destruction and claiming lives. Since then, the earth has experienced a long series of disastrous weather patterns, and scientists have determined that climate change may be causing more frequent and intense hurricanes. The resulting flooding in these areas is a crisis that can be combatted with infrastructure that transports water to drought-prone regions.

 

 

September 25, 1957

In 1957, nine black students began attending Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, a formerly all-white institution. The group, known as the Little Rock Nine, was escorted by military troops through a crowd of white protestors to their first full day of school on September 25. Today, we commend the bravery of the Little Rock Nine and their impact on school desegregation in the United States.

 

September 25, 1981

Diversifying the Supreme Court of the United States, Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first woman to serve on the Court in 1981. She has since been followed by Ruth Bader-Ginsberg (1993), Sonia Sotomayor (2009), and Elena Kagan (2010), whose work on the Court has been an invaluable service to the United States. Decisions including upholding abortion rights (1992) and allowing the use of affirmative action in university admissions (2003) were made possible in part by O’Connor’s votes.

 

September 27, 1908

The first Ford Model T was completed in Detroit, Michigan in 1908. There is no question that Ford Motor Company and the invention of the assembly line have had one of the largest impacts on the trajectory of work and employment around the world, and continue to alter the implications for the future of work today.


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