Who Gets to Decide What Your Labor is Worth?
In the United States, it’s Labor Day weekend.
Growing up, that meant cookouts and the reminder that school was about to start. As an adult, I still look forward to the weekend gatherings and the “back to” energy. But over the years, I’ve grown more curious about the history of the holiday — and how it intersects with Black history.
As is often the case in America, the story is layered. Black workers were initially excluded from unions and Labor Day celebrations, even though their labor was essential to this country’s prosperity.
In response, the “Colored National Labor Union” was formed in 1869, with Frederick Douglass becoming president in 1872. Its mission: to “organize Black workers and advocate for fair labor conditions, economic opportunity, and non-discriminatory policies.”
Seven decades later, A. Philip Randolph carried that torch, leading the 1941 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and later collaborating with Bayard Rustin on the 1963 March on Washington — where labor rights and civil rights converged.
It’s a holiday weekend, so I won’t turn this into a long historical recap. ☺️
But I do think it’s worth pausing to notice the dual truths of Labor Day: on one hand, it celebrates the achievements of the labor movement; on the other, it highlights the exclusion and inequities Black workers faced, even as they worked tirelessly to shape worker rights and labor policy for all.
From where I sit, the “spirit” of this movement — honoring workers’ contributions and their fight for fair wages, hours, and conditions — sparks a question many entrepreneurs and business owners still wrestle with today:
Who gets to decide what your labor is worth?
On the surface, it may seem like the answer is straightforward: employers, markets, or clients set the value. But history — and even our personal experiences — reveal it’s way more complicated.
Power dynamics, systemic inequities, and cultural narratives all shape how labor is valued, whose contributions are recognized, and whose are overlooked. And this tension between external valuation and self-valuation is as relevant for today’s workers, entrepreneurs, and business owners as it was for those who marched and organized generations ago.
As well as those who joined the “March on Wall Street,” here in New York City, this past Thursday.
And that’s the thread that connects past movements to our present choices: the constant negotiation between what others say our work is worth and what we claim for ourselves.
For entrepreneurs and business owners, this shows up every time you set a price, pitch a proposal, or justify your fees. The question isn’t only about numbers — it’s about how you see the value of your work, how you communicate it, and how you stand in it when challenged.
I must admit, until I started doing a little research to write this piece, I had not considered pricing to be a form of advocacy — now I do!
How might you approach pricing differently if you embraced this idea, as well?
(Note: if you’re a professional, how might you approach your next compensation negotiation differently if you viewed the experience as a form of advocacy?)
I will definitely be touching upon this notion during my upcoming Pricing Made Human® Masterclass and the follow-up Mastermind. Together, we’ll unpack the financial, emotional, and strategic layers of pricing — so you’re not only setting numbers that make sense, but also using them as a form of advocacy for your work, your vision, and the impact of your expertise.
If you’ve ever wrestled with doubt, underpriced out of fear, or struggled to communicate the value you bring to the table with confidence, this is your invitation to step into a new way of approaching pricing.
Because when you reframe it as advocacy, you don’t just change your business — you strengthen your voice, your choices, and your impact.
And ultimately, that ends up being for the benefit of all — just like the work of Douglass, Randolph, and Rustin was for the good of all.
About Jacquette
I love to ask questions and spark aha moments. I love to talk about why success with money is about more than just the numbers, and how the cultural impact on the intersection of money, business, and life matters–A LOT! And, I really hope I help people feel seen, heard, and not judged—especially since money is emotional and personal.
