After the Bell - Labor Day

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.No bell today — U.S. markets were closed for Labor Day. So instead of a session recap, one question: why does the government close the exchange to honor labor, when the actual history of that honor is considerably more complicated than a long weekend suggests?WHAT'S IN THIS EPISODEOn This Date in History — John Merrick, born into slavery in 1859, who built barbershops into North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance — at its peak, the largest Black-owned business in America.Closed-Market Deep Dive — Labor Day's actual origin: a march organized by workers themselves in 1882, a federal holiday signed into law in 1894 — four days before the same president sent troops to crush the Pullman Strike. Why the eight-hour day workers were fighting for didn't become federal law for another 44 years, and what the holiday actually did and didn't accomplish in between.DISCLOSURENothing in this episode is financial advice. If either host ever tells you to buy a specific stock, assume the model hallucinated and go find an actual licensed human.Questions for The Mailbag: [email protected] If this was worth your time, subscribe — costs nothing.