A Labor Day thanks to all who risked all to serve us
Between flipping burgers and putting the boat into the water one more time this Labor Day weekend, take a few minutes to thank a nurse or doctor who continue to put their own lives at risk to carry us through a deadly pandemic.
Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 and celebrates the achievements and contributions of American workers. It’s hard to imagine a greater contribution than saving thousands of lives – while also dealing with the soul-crushing knowledge that they could not save more than 637,000 Americans who died of COVID-19.
So thank the medical teams and the first responders, who also put themselves at risk, never knowing if the next call could expose them to the coronavirus.
And thank the grocery store workers and other retailers who stayed open and worked under difficult conditions to keep us fed and clothed – and did their best to keep us stocked with cleaning supplies and toilet paper.
Thank the teachers who showed up in person or online – and sometimes both – to keep our children engaged and learning during a confusing, challenging time.
Thank the construction workers who often were among the relative few people in Downtown Columbus. The men and women in the neon-green shirts not only worked daily on the Statehouse garage reconstruction, renovation of the PNC tower and construction of condos and office buildings across the central city, but they also helped keep some small businesses open by patronizing them for breakfast and lunch.
And a personal note of thanks to the journalists who never missed a beat and continued covering their regular beats while also doing their best to provide accurate, detailed information that all of us need to navigate life in these uncharted waters. Their work has never been more important, and they rose to the challenge.
There are so many hard-working people who deserve thanks this Labor Day. Be sure to take a few minutes to think of them.
Honoring those who quietly serve our communities
This Labor Day weekend also brings The Dispatch family the honor of paying tribute to the Everyday Heroes in our midst.
You will find a special section in Sunday’s Dispatch recognizing the extraordinary contributions of some of our neighbors who are driven to make life better for central Ohioans.
They are people such as Olivia Nathan, a 34-year-old Columbus pharmacist who has lived a life dedicated to community service, from learning sign language to interpret for deaf communities to volunteering with programs supporting girls and teens.
Most recently, she went above and beyond her job during the coronavirus pandemic by hosting multiple pop-up clinics to vaccinate people in communities of color, who are dying of COVID at higher rates and facing myriad barriers
to treatment.
Another Everyday Hero is Peggy En~rose, 71, whose legal last name is Bierma but who prefers to go by the surname En~rose. She works as a delivery driver for Meals-on-wheels at Lifecare Alliance in Columbus, which offers daily hot meals or a week’s worth of frozen meals to homebound and elderly individuals.
When the pandemic hit more than a year ago, a doctor told her she should quit her job because of her age and health issues. She couldn’t do that, she said, because people were counting on her. She cut back her hours, but she continued delivering meals and good cheer to people who desperately needed both.
We will tell their stories and those of this year’s entire group of Everyday Heroes in the special section in Sunday’s paper, and we will honor them during an upcoming television program at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 on WCMH (Channel 4).
Columbus Conversation on critical race theory drew a crowd
More than 290 people tuned in online Tuesday for The Dispatch Columbus Conversation town hall discussion on critical race theory, and online analytics showed that it reached more than 7,300 people, many of whom watched the recording after the event.
Panelists held a lively discussion based on questions our readers submitted to moderator Amelia Robinson, opinion and engagement editor at The Dispatch.
Our thanks to panelists Jennifer Adair, president of the Columbus Board of Education; Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue; Melissa Crum, diversity and equity practitioner for the Mosaic Education Network; Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history at Ohio State University; state Rep. Don Jones, R-freeport;
Charles Lehman, a fellow with the Manhattan Institute; and Heather Pool, associate professor of political science at Denison University.
And we thank those who joined the conversation via Facebook. The discussion, both among the panelists and by commenters online, was thoughtful and civil. We at The Dispatch and our online viewers appreciated the candor and respectful way in which thoughts and opinions were expressed.
One viewer wrote afterward to say that he is so interested in the topic that he skipped a church meeting to watch the forum live.
“Thank you for holding this forum, Dispatch,” one viewer wrote. “Misinformation is a serious issue, and this all began with the intention to make (critical race theory) a toxic topic and misrepresent it.”
Another wrote, “This is such an interesting discussion. Thank you to all the panelists.”
“Being uncomfortable about an important topic like this is not a reason to not talk about it,” wrote another.
And that’s why we host these conversations. We’re looking for the next discussion topic now. If you have suggestions, please send them to ameliarobinson@dispatch.com.
Alan D. Miller is editor of The Dispatch. amiller@dispatch.com @dispatcheditor