Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a lifelong Michigander. She is a lawyer, an educator, former prosecutor, State Representative and Senator. She was the first woman to lead a Senate caucus. But the most important title she boasts is MOM. Inspired by her family, she’s devoted her life to building a stronger Michigan for everyone.
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July 21, 2019
WHEREAS, July 21, 2019, marks the 400th anniversary of the first work stoppage recorded in American history by Polish craftsmen and skilled artisans in Jamestown, Virginia; and,
WHEREAS, this stoppage was not for wages, but for civil liberty, political rights, and the right to vote, which were already granted to English persons, but not to the Polish; and,
WHEREAS, the stoppage resulted in the Virginia Company of London enfranchising the Polish and assigning apprentices to the craftsmen, which created the apprenticeship system in the New World; and,
WHEREAS, the efforts and achievements of Poles, who fought for their civil, economic, democratic, and political freedoms and rights should be honored and recognized;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim July 21, 2019, as a Day to Honor the First Work Stoppage by Polish Craftsmen and Skilled Artisans in Michigan in celebration of its 400th anniversary, and I encourage all Polish American organizations to commemorate this strike in recognition of the freedoms and rights that are enjoyed by the Polish and all peoples today.