Today at Noon in front of the state of Oregon Labor building a ceremony was held to mark Workers Memorial Day. . I was honored to offer the invocation at the start the event (which can be found below). Secretary of State Kate Brown and State Treasurer Ted Wheeler then read the names of the 34 Oregonians killed last year either in the workplace or while serving in the Armed Forces. I'll update this post with those names when I receive the full list. Watch the below video for the reading of the names. The Oregon AFL-CIO is to be thanked for sponsoring the gathering in partnership with state officials.
Prayer of Invocation
Gracious God,
This Workers Memorial Day we lift up to you the names of Oregonians who have fallen.
Keep them and bless them.
Bestow on their families all manner of goodness.
Let their names never be forgotten.
We rejoice that safety standards have improved over time.
But we know there is more work to be done.
Workers should be afforded every protection.
Their lives are as precious to you as those with power and wealth, perhaps more so.
We gather this day as people from different faiths all united in our love of Oregon and in our commitment to justice.
Help us to make conditions even safer for workers.
Help us to build bridges between labor and business that promote the common good.
During this time of economic hardship, O God, let us never forget our shared responsibilities for one another.
We are our brother’s keeper.
We are our sister’s keeper.
Let us live out that mandate from you in ways that build up the Beloved Community.
Amen.
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