HONORING LABOR'S LEGACY AND MESSAGE

The legacy of America's working men and women will be celebrated in Detroit with a five-story stainless-steel arch near the city's waterfront. The Labor Legacy Landmark will pay tribute to the men and women of organized labor and help carry labor's message of justice and solidarity to future generations. The project will focus on the lives and achievements of working men and women in the Detroit metropolitan area.

"This project is not about labor leaders but about the working men and women who have been part of the labor movement," says David Hecker, president of the Michigan Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel. The landmark "is designed to look forward [to] the vision that labor has for that future," stresses Hecker, the project's fundraising chair.

Called "Transcending," the soaring arch will be open at the top, and a blue light will arc back and forth between the two sides to symbolize labor's energy and ongoing work. At its base, 14 bronze relief sculptures set on polished granite boulders will be devoted to various aspects of the labor movement. The sculpture includes quotes from a number of labor leaders and members, including Mary Ellen Riordan, the former president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers and a former AFT vice president, and former AFT higher education member Albert Einstein.

When completed, the Labor Legacy Project will be a place where teachers can bring students for a lesson in labor's history.

Individuals who contribute at least $100 will have their name or the name of a family member, labor pioneer or other individual of their choice permanently placed on the Labor Wall of Honor at the site. Unions that contribute $1,000 or more will have their names placed on special sections of the wall.

Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to the Michigan Labor Legacy Project, c/o Walter Reuther Library, Wayne State University, 5401 Cass, Detroit, MI 48202. For further information, visit the project's Web site at www.LaborLegacy.org.

CENSUS BUREAU'S LESSON PLANS CONTEST

The U.S. Census Bureau has expanded its Census in the Schools Program by launching a Lesson Plan Contest aimed at generating teaching materials that utilize Census Bureau statistics.

Proposed lesson plans should incorporate the Census Bureau's demographic and economic data and address a skill such as graphing, analyzing tables and math calculations. They should also identify appropriate national, state or local content standards.

A review panel will select a contest winner for the elementary, middle and high school levels. The winning lesson plans and a profile of the contestants and their schools will be posted on the Census Bureau's Web site.

The bureau launched its lesson plan contest in July during the AFT convention in Las Vegas where, with the AFT's assistance, it organized a focus group to solicit educators' input on the Census in the Schools Program.

For information on entering the contest, visit the Bureau's Web site at www.census.gov/ mcd/lesson.html or call 301/763-4673.

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