From the first official Labor Day parade in 1882 to huge unemployment protests in the 1930s, Union Square has been the locale of many central events in labor history. In 1997, the park at Broadway and 14th Street was designated a national historic landmark.

The moving force behind the successful campaign to honor the site was Debra E. Bernhardt, the late head of New York University’s Wagner Labor Archives.

On May 9, family, friends and the labor community gathered at the park to celebrate the many contributions of this extraordinary woman and dedicate a bench in her name. Located in the southwestern corner of the park, the bench was made possible by hundreds of $5 contributions from people whose lives were touched by Debra Bernhardt. The U.S. Postal Service also used the occasion to dedicate a stamp in honor of the late United Farm Workers founder Cesar Chavez.

Although she died at 47, Debra left an important legacy. She preserved the history of the labor movement, including many DC 37 locals, wrote about labor’s past, and recorded oral histories in her “New Yorkers at Work” series.

The book, “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives,” was written with her friend Rachel Bernstein. Debra prepared many exhibits, some of which were displayed at DC 37. Her capacity for encouraging others to honor the history of working people was boundless.

At the dedication, daughter Sonia read an original poem and son Alex played a violin solo. Husband Jon Bloom spoke about the family’s connection to Union Square as a special place of memory and free speech.

Central Labor Council President Brian McLaughlin spoke about her contribution to documenting the story of the rank and file. “She exemplified the principles of trade unionism every day,” he noted.

Unite! Vice President Susan Cowell called on all to sit on Debra’s bench and to think thoughts big and small that will change the world. Debra would have loved that idea.

— Jane LaTour